Style Bending: A New Twist on Bending
by Niklos
Summary: Aang has been separated from his friends through a sneak attack by Zuko. He is injured, but saved from further harm by a stranger who teaches him how to Style Bend. Just read it and give it a chance. Not a Mary Sue and no slash. AangOC
1. An end to the Avatar?

Welcome to the first installment of my Avatar side story. This set of episodes occurs after Aang has learned some waterbending from the Northern Water Tribe, but before he manages to run into his earthbending teacher, Ty Lee. This episode revolves around Aang and another character of my own design who teaches Aang Style Bending.

_Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own Avatar. Etc, etc, etc, I wish I did…you get the drill. Basically, I don't own them, nor want to make any money off of them, and am writing this story for pure enjoyment as a fan of the series_.

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"You're mine, Avatar! Yaaaaaaaaaagh!" Zuko bellowed as he threw yet another blast of fire at his elusive opponent.

_** Flashback **_

This had been a meeting of the fates it seemed, as Zuko had discovered Aang, Katara, and Sokka's camp mostly by accident. Well, make that entirely by accident. Iroh had been practicing with Zuko on some of his more advanced firebending skills when Iroh had pushed him a little too far. Iroh was trying to teach Zuko his patented _Landmine_ maneuver. This involved concentrating the elemental fire into a condenced form and then depositing this fireball into the ground, where it would travel unnoticed by the opponent until the bender decided to release the energy therein. Of course, Zuko became enraged (_no surprise there_) and tried to perform the maneuver out of pure emotion. He succeeded, though only in destroying his half of the rock cliff they were standing on and thus sending him tumbling down a steep embankment which left him mostly unhurt, albeit his ego took a beating. On his way back around the mountain to find a way back to his Uncle again, he had stumbled upon the Avatar's camp. To make matters even better than what they already were with this find, Aang's annoying friends and hairy beast were nowhere in sight. They must have gone off to get more supplies from the nearby neutral town. With his ego in shreds after that fall, needless to say he was more than willing to pick a fight with anyone just to blow off some steam. Stumbling across Aang without his friends was a divine gift for him.

_** End Flashback **_

"Still too slow, Zuko." Aang retorted as he flung himself sideways, tumbling through the air with the ease that only a master airbender could. Landing lightly on his feet and taking up a defensive stance Aang further taunted the Fire Nation Prince by making a very good facial imitation of an exasperated Zuko by holding his breath and puffing out his cheeks.

'Why that little Avatar wannabe, I'll show him.' Zuko thought as he watched this display of mockery from the young opponent.

Fire flared from his nostrils and smoke billowed from his ears as he tried to catch his breath while being infuriated by this young sprite of a fighter. Zuko had tried almost every move that he had in his arsenal to offset the young Avatar, but to no avail. At this point, the two combatants were deadlocked. Aang could not cause much damage to Zuko, and Zuko in return was unable to hit the avatar with anything substantial. The most either of them had done was to put the other's hair and clothes in disarray, or to singe the hems of their clothes respectively. And so the battle continued on, blow after blow; stance after stance. To anyone watching, it would look like they had been practicing a choreographed battle scene for some extravagant theatre performance. The longer this went on, however, the more chance there was for either of them to make a mistake. Zuko realized that the Avatar was a better conditioned fighter for defensive maneuvers and knew that he himself would be the first to slip up and leave an opening that would be his downfall.

'_I know!'_, Zuko's mind raced with the though, '_I'll have to try the Landmine maneuver uncle taught me. But this is only going to work if I can throw the Avatar here into a crevasse or something._'

Looking around Zuko saw his chance. During the course of the battle, the two combatants had wound their way through the clearing to the edge of a river ravine…a very deep ravine. '_Even if this doesn't kill him_', Zuko mused, '_At least it will give me time to regroup and fight another day._'

"Graaaaaaaaaaagh." Was the battle cry Zuko made as he took up the fight again. He threw a straight lead, emblazoned with fire of course, at the young Avatar, followed by a sweeping leg kick. Then, wind-milling his arms, Zuko performed a rising dragon hand sweep which sent twin thin columns of fire towards the Avatar.

Aang ducked under the first punch, and immediately had to summersault up and back from the sweeping kick. What he didn't count on, was the sweeping columns of fire that came racing towards him while he was still flipping in the air. Aang gasped at the sight of the fire, and reacted the best way he knew how, by pushing himself back further with his bending skills against the power of the fire. But the move was so sudden that Aang had only enough time to react, and not worry about his footing or how he would land. As the gusts of air pushed him backwards through the air, Aang tumbled out of control. The ground came up to meet him all too suddenly and he ended up dazed on his back in the dirt, only feet away from the edge of the ravine.

'Now's my chance,' thought Zuko. He immediately went into a pose which had the semblance of an airbending technique. Jumping high into the air, Zuko's arm cocked above his right eye; his palm sparking with energy. As he touched down, he drove his palm into the ground with as much force as he could manage without breaking his hand, for he was no earthbender. The energy gathered raced from his palm and into the ground in a torrent and swiftly moved towards its intended target with unnatural speed. Zuko grinned as he knew that the technique was working perfectly…

Aang held his head as he sat up and heard only the words, "Goodbye Avatar." Before his eves shot open to see where the threat was coming from. In that instant he saw Zuko rise from the ground with his palm still open and trembling. Dread filled Aang's mind as he realized something was wrong and that this was probably going to hurt. Aang saw Zuko's fist close…

'_BOOOOOOOM_'

Zuko watched as fire and rock engulfed the young Avatar, throwing him off the cliff and into the ravine below.

"Let's see you bend your way out of this one, Avatar." Said Zuko softly as he turned his back on the ravine and walked away. '_Now to go find uncle, and hunt down the remains of the Avatar._'

'_Am I dead?_' Aang was rocked by the explosion and tumbled through the air. The rush of wind was increasing as he opened his eyes to the rushing water that was coming all too swiftly to meet him. Then, everything went black.

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** _Several hours later and a pretty fast body-surf…_ **

Why his Avatar instincts didn't kick in, he didn't know. But the next thing he knew was that he was cold, wet, and on some sort of shore. In reality, Aang had passed out upon hitting the water and drifted, unharmed and face-up, hundreds of miles down the river. It was if the river itself was keeping him safe from the rocks and dead trees under its surface. He landed on a rocky beach, somewhere far west of where he had started.

Aang opened his eyes in the semi-conscious form he was still in. Everything around his was still shadows and undeterminable shapes. Aang drifted out of consciousness and lay on that beach in peace while his body healed. If he had kept his eyes open for another minute or two, he may have seen the lone human shadow check him over, then pick him up and walk off into the distance.

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_Where is our young Avatar, and who is this traveler? Does he have any ill intentions towards our young Avatar? I guess the next installment will tell…_


	2. An astonishing place

Here's the next installment. It's not overly long, but I never had much time to write today. Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

_Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own Avatar. Etc, etc, etc, I wish I did…you get the drill. Basically, I don't own them, nor want to make any money off of them, and am writing this story for pure enjoyment as a fan of the series_.

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'_Am I dead?_' Thought the wiry Avatar as he began to awake from a deep slumber, '_Well, I must not be dead yet, because my body aches like the time Appa decided to roll over in his sleep and stay on top of me for the next six hours._'

Aang began to stir from his resting place. His movements were slow and deliberate, and his face scrunched up from the discomfort he felt everywhere.

"Ughnnnnnnnnnnnnn! Now I know how a flower feels when it's walked on."

Sitting up on…whatever he was sitting on (Aang was still out of it and unable to see properly at the moment even with his eyes open…) Aang tried to collect his thought about what had happened.

"Okay!" He thought aloud, "The last thing I remember was sitting on the ground looking at Zuko when…" The Avatar's thoughts trailed off as he struggled to remember what happened. He even closed his eyes to picture the scene and all he could see was Zuko's grinning face disappearing into a flash of raging hellfire, light, and noise.

"No wonder my ears are still ringing." Aang chuckled as his head was still pounding from whatever Zuko had done to him. The laughter didn't last long, as Aang bent over double as pain shot through his ribs. Opening his eyes once more, after he calmed down enough to let the sharp pains subside, Aang discovered a disturbing, yet somewhat reassuring sight.

Aang still had all of his limbs in tact, which was a great way to start the day as far as anyone is concerned. His tunic and shirt were missing though. In their place, were rows of fresh bandages wrapped around his ribs.

'_I guess something might be broken under there_' mused the Avatar. His forearms and lower legs were wrapped in a similar manner, except his pants were merely rolled up instead off completely removed. '_Well that's a relief. At least I'm not being taken care of by some pervert…_'

Aang panicked for a moment and undid his pants as best he could with the injured limbs to make sure all his…ahem…bits and pieces, were still in tact. With that check out of the way and his pants re-tied, as tight as he could under the circumstances (which proved to be just tight enough to keep them from falling down), Aang took a look around at his surroundings to figure out where exactly he was.

"Wooooaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" The gasp of amazement escaped the young Avatar's lips involuntarily as he gazed at his surroundings.

Aang was located, as far as he could tell, in one amazing place. He was in a rather large house of some kind, which was built into the side of a cliff. The home was actually carved partially into the rock face, and then more stone was constructed so it would jut slightly out from the sheer rock wall. Aang could tell all of this because of the window next to his seating arrangements was spilling in light. Aang came to the silent conclusion that this is probably what woke him up in the first place. Gazing out the window, Aang realized that this house was not of the ordinary kind. Located at least one hundred feet above the ground, the dwelling was completely barren of any sort of decoration on the outside. The walls looked as if they were bended into the wall by a masterful earth bender as to make them unnoticeable to any passers by who did not know where to look.

Aang heart jumped at the thought that this might be an earth bender's house, but was confused as he turned his attention to the inside of the abode. Whatever lack of decorations were on the outside, the dwellers made up for it on the inside. The interior of the house was brightly lit due to the number and placement of the windows, and so Aang could discern all sorts of treasures available for him to set his sights upon. Tapestries hung on the walls depicting everything from great battle scenes, to calm open meadows, and whirling oceans. Apparently whoever lived here was into worldly art as the paintings and weavings appeared to be from the four corners of the world. The floors themselves were another sight to behold, as the surfaces appeared to be polished black stone with no seams to be found. The black surface gleamed and deep blue in the light and Aang could only think that a waterbender could make such smooth surfaces out of stone. But that thought was soon dashed as Aang noticed the furniture and such around the room. All of the furniture was completed in the firebending style, with rich tones of red, orange, and black splashed throughout. The ceiling held places for hanging lamps found only in the fire nation, as they were made of cold, unbending steel. Now Aang was just plain confused as to who lived in this house. He noticed then that he was sitting on rather luxurious bed and realized that all he had seen was only one room of the house.

"This place must be huge if this is only the guest room." Aang whispered to himself. "I guess I should see what else is in this place."

Aang made to stand up but found that he was unable to do so as of yet. He fell back down with a cry when his legs screamed in protest at the abuse he was trying to put them through. Aang checked to see if there was anything broken, and was relieved to find out that it was just some serious bruising of the ankles and shins. This was nothing that another few days of rest would fix. He realized then that he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon without some sort of help, so Aang was confined to the 'fire bed' for the moment. It was comfortable enough, so it was alright by him to have an excuse to be lazy for once. Aang managed to flop back onto the enormous pillows which had been propping him up earlier. His body decided that it was time for another nap, and Aang couldn't agree more as his eyelids shut once again of their own accord.

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'_Bang'_

Aang grumbled in his sleep.

'_Bang_'

The unconscious Avatar began to stir, stretching out in disgust that he was awakened again, but by what?

'_Bang_'

Aang heard the third noise as his eyes shot open at the sound. '_What was that?_'

'_Bang_'

This time Aang knew what it sounded like…a hammer; A BIG hammer at that. Aang sat up as the offending noise continued to reverberate every three to five seconds or so. It sounded like it was coming from outside the house. Aang tried to move to the other window in order to look down at the ground below, but still found his legs to be slightly too sore for him to yet use properly.

"Hmph. I can't even see what it is that's causing all that racket." He grunted to himself. Aang restrained his curiosity for the moment and went back to lying down in the pillows. Before long the noise stopped altogether and Aang could not have been more relieved. The sound was just plain annoying!

Aang noted that it was now dusk outside, and the lamps in his room were lit. '_I must have slept for a good ten hours,' _he thought. Aang was sure now that there was someone around taking care of him, and perked up dramatically when he heard footsteps within the house.

They were coming from somewhere outside the room and getting louder all the time. Aang knew that there must be a hallway outside the room and that whoever it was that lived here was coming to check in on him. Not one to be unkempt in public, Aang sat up straight as he heard the latch on the door click and begin to swing open. Now Aang would get to meet his keeper and thank him for all he had done.

The door swung open and in stepped…


	3. Stranger unveiled

Alrighty then ladies and gentlemen……and anyone else in between. Welcome to the third instalment of my Avatar fanfic. I hope that the first two chapters have been just as fulfilling for you reading them as they have been for me writing them. I'm still a bit rusty but my style will get better over time. Now, without further ado…I give you my own homegrown character; complete with flaws and follies.

Disclaimer: If I'm said it once I've said it a thousand times…I don't own Avatar so shove off you corporate bas……maybe I shouldn't finish that one.

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"Let's see if he's…Oh, you're up. This is wonderful! I was beginning to think that you were enjoying the whole fourteen hours of sleep a day."

The voice preceded the man and had a timbre of joyful carelessness to it. Aang gave the new entry a good looking over, without seeming like he was gawking or staring. He reminded Aang of…well…no one to be absolutely blunt about it! This person was unlike anyone Aang had ever encountered in his travels; and he had met some really…ahem…'_interesting_' people over the years. Bumi, now King Bumi, being one of the more eccentric of the bunch.

The man was young, probably no more than twenty-five, Aang estimated. His hair almost threw him off though when he first looked up to greet his visitor. It was a near pure white and silver mix, but held the sheen of hair that was young and vibrant. The man's hair was held back in a simple, but very short ponytail. The hair didn't look long enough to hold back all the time, so Aang figured that the man must have wanted to keep the hair out of his eyes for some reason or another. Strands of hair spilled out and ran down on one side of the man's face, wavering over his right eye before the man pushed it back closer to his ear. With the silver and white mix, the man's hair seemed to be almost flowing at all times. Aang would have to question the man later as to how he kept his hair looking like that. Katara would certainly like to know his secrets.

Moving down the face, the man had green eyes. They were the type of green one only sees at the end of a summer's rain, when everything is alive and vibrant. To Aang, those eyes looked to have some sort of hidden amusement behind them as they danced in the lantern light. Eyes that entrancing had to hold some sort of wisdom and secrets. Aang almost jumped with glee, as maybe this man was a great bender who could teach him. But enough about that, we still have more person to discover. The man had a strong jaw line, but a soft smile. It exuded great strength, along with great compassion. He was clean-shaven with short sideburns, and a single loop of some sort of mixed metal adorned his left ear. There was a small but noticeable scar along his chin that ran on an angle down from right to left, so the last of the scar ran a short ways under his jaw line. His complexion was not pale, but not overly tan.

Moving down to the man's torso, Aang could estimate that the man was roughly five feet-eight inches tall and weighed about one hundred and fifty five pounds. He was lean, yet very well defined in his muscles. His shoulders were corded with power and his forearms oozed an impressive grip, Aang betted. But that was all that was exposed at the time. This man wore a sun-bleached tan vest made of simple fabric weaves. It contained reinforced stitching around the edges and seams; Aang guessed that the shirt was used for working or hard tasks of any sort. The vest fit loosely around the mans chest and stomach so Aang could not discern if the man was as toned in that area as what he could see, but he guessed that he was. Around his waist the man wore a simple pair of pants that appeared to be much like the ones he wore, except they were left loose at the bottom and ran down to the tops of his ankles. (Picture Thai Fisherman pants) They were a rich green in colour with silver designs running in a single stripe down the left leg. The right leg held some sort of name or word stitched in the same silvery thread as the other designs on the pant, but the lettering was much larger and ran from mid-shin to mid thigh across the knee. On his feet were…nothing. There were tan marks on the tops of his feet, which indicated the man wore sandals most of the time. His feet appeared calloused and tough, which made Aang jump a little more that this may be an earth bender after all. It would explain the eyes and the feet and the pants.

There was one last set of items that Aang noticed about the man as far as his appearance went, and that was a single strand of twine hanging around his neck and a bracelet around his right wrist. Whatever trinket the rope held was hidden though, as it dipped beyond the small V in the neck of the vest. The bracelet was about an inch in thickness and held a variety of strange stones and weavings. Other than that, there was nothing special about it.

"So what do you think? Am I a threat or not." The man startled Aang with his voice as it sounded like it was right next to his face. In fact…it was. The stranger had moved so swiftly that he ended up just inches in front of Aang's face before the young airbender had a chance to realize what had just happened. Startled, Aang fell backwards and hit his head off the wall behind him. The man chuckled in amusement as his eyes danced with laughter. He was truly enjoying himself at the Avatar's expense. But who could blame him? This was Aang after all.

Even Aang laughed at himself after sitting back up and rubbing his head.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to stare. I just haven't seen anyone quite like you before."

"That's quite all right young traveller. I haven't seen many people that look like I do either. But of course, I haven't seen many people like yourself either…Oh, excuse me!" The man caught himself, "I have not properly introduced myself. How rude of me. My name is Nokolos Okram. Although, between you and me, I prefer Niko." He grinned like it was some big secret.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Niko. My name's Aang. And yeah, you probably wouldn't see many people around like me. I'm the Avat…mfhl." Aang clamped his hands over his mouth and waited for the man to go shouting down the Fire nation soldiers in order to get his reward. Aang had completely forgotten that he was supposed to keep his true identity a secret until he judged the man's heart.

"What, the Avatar?" Niko grinned evilly, noting the expression of a scared deer on Aang's face. "Well this is a surprise. I had figured as much, but now that I know for sure I guess I going to have to do this…" Niko raised his hand quickly above Aang's head as the young Avatar shut his eyes and waited for the strike to come that would surely put him back to the dream world…

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But nothing came!

Instead, there was laughter and a loud thump. Aang opened his eyes and saw Niko rolling around on the floor holding his sides and laughing to wake the dead. Aang could not believe this guy, he was a natural joker. This had been the second shock that the man had given Aang as a joke to himself. Aang grinned and judged the man to be a kind soul, and that he could trust Niko with his life if he had to.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, gasp! Oh dear that was fun. You should have seen the look on your face Aang. It was priceless! I would have sworn you had run into the lord of the fire nation himself. I am quite sorry if I startled you too much but it was too much to resist." Niko stuck out his hand to the Avatar as a sign of friendship. "I assure you that I mean you no harm. Besides, I could have done away with you much sooner as those rather unique arrow tattoos on your head and arms gave you away just a little bit."

Aang grinned at the though. "Yeah, I guess they are a bit noticeable."

"Well, now that we've got the introductions out of the way, what do you say that we check up on how everything is healing?" Aang nodded in agreement and allowed Niko to check his body over and redress some of the bandages that had come loose during his last sleep. Niko seemed to know what he was doing and began to apply some sort of salve to most of the wounds. Aang couldn't help but wonder what they were for and so he questioned Niko about them.

"Oh, these? Weel, you don't have any superficial wounds as such, but this compound will soak into your skin and muscles and help ease the pain and speed up the healing process. But I have to warn you, they will become quite hot in a few minutes. It's a characteristic of the ingredients in the medicine."

Aang realized this all too well in the next few minutes and started waving his arms around as best he could to get them to cool off. Niko could only stand and laugh in amusement at the sight.

"They will not burn you, Aang. But really, I don't think that flapping your arms will help your airbending. Try to let your mind wander on something else and let the drugs do their jobs."

Aang settled down a little bit then, but was caught by Niko at times blowing on his arms and upper legs sometimes.

'_Oh the amusement I'm going to have_.' Mused Niko. Aang was just too easy to get riled up.

"So what do you say, Aang? Would you like to come downstairs and get something to eat? You must be pretty hungry after sleeping for the better part of four days."

Aang's eyes shot open. "Four days! How bad was I?"

"Don't worry about it Aang. You had some broken bones that needed to be set and some burns that needed tending. The salves I used along with your natural healing powers for the Avatar spirit took the superficial marks away easily within a day or two. The bones will take another two days I would think before you would like to be putting full pressure on them again. You do heal remarkably quick though. I wish that I had that power when I broke my own arm. Instead of a week or so, I was up for the better part of a month before I could do anything with it." Niko laughed at himself.

'Grummmmmmbllllllleee!'

"Woops, I guess I am hungry." Aang grinned comically. "Is the offer still standing?"

Niko smiled, "Of course, Aang. Grab onto my neck and I'll even save you the trouble of having to try and walk on those damaged legs of yours. Besides, we do have a few stairs to go down first." Aang nodded and used his bending to launch himself at Niko. Aang latched on as best he could and the two began their journey to the wonder that was the kitchen.

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After downing what seemed like his eighth bowl of leechy nuts, mangos, and some odd milk concoction called 'yogurt', Aang finally slowed down enough and sighed contentedly. He hadn't eaten this well in a good while and it showed. In between the gulps between Niko and himself, because Niko could almost keep up with Aang in terms of ravenous food consumption, they had shared their accounts of how Aang had come to be in his house in the cliff. It came out that after Aang fell in the water he had drifted for two days until he ran ashore about ten miles away from Niko's house. Niko had been on his way back from a trip when he saw the young Avatar battered and bloodied and decided he should clean him up a little. That had been almost five days ago now.

"So this Zuko kid is pretty dangerous."

"Yeah, he is. Only because he's desperate and reckless." Aang replied.

Niko nodded as if her were wise beyond his years. "This is very true. Even a rabbit will fight a fox if cornered. Recklessness and anger make people unpredictable and uncontrollable, and that is what truly makes them dangerous."

Aang nodded in agreement. Niko was certainly more profound than he had first concluded about the man. Maybe he was a teacher of some sort of martial art or bending style. The thought wouldn't leave Aang's head for a moment and eventually gave in after some more useless banter between the pair of kind-hearted individuals.

"Niko?" Aang asked. Niko's eyebrows shot up as if to lead the young Avatar on to the question. "Are you some sort of fighter or something."

"Now why would you say that?" Niko sat back in his chair like the chesire cat. He had been waiting for Aang to ask that very question.

"I just watched how you moved." Aang noted that Niko moved with a dancer's grace and a warrior's purposefulness. It was like watching a dance of a great phoenix swooping and turning in the bright sky out of the sheer joy of being alive. "You don't waste your movements, as if everything has a function. That lead me to the conclusion that you had to be a martial artist or a bender of some sort. Only great fighters and benders move like you do."

Niko chuckled at Aangs complement. "Why thank you Aang. I had guessed that you would notice but to notice so soon must mean that you too are a great bender."

Aang's eyes shot wide. "So you **are** a bender! I knew it. What element do you bend? Waterearthfireairwhatsortoftrickscanyoudo…"

"Enough, enough!" Mocked Niko as he held up his hands in defeat. "You need to slow down Aang. You haven't even healed properly and all you want to talk about is bending."

Aang hung his head as he blushed. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"Don't worry Aang, I expected you to get excited and it's wonderful to see such a young bender to be so eager. I am a bender, but I am…how can I put this…not of the style you are used to."

Aang was about to ask what he meant when Niko spoke up as if on cue.

"I will show you eventually, Aang. But right now, you need to rest up to gain your health back as well as your strength. I promise that as soon as I think that you're ready to see what I can do, I will show you."

"Promise?"

"I promise Aang. Now, let's get you back to that bed upstairs and let you get some rest. You've still got a few more days of healing left before you're ready to move around on your own so I want you to yell out with that airbending voice of yours if you need anything or need to go anywhere." Niko smiled as Aang nodded and smiled back. "Good, now hop on so I can put you back in the room and I can get some rest as well."

Aang did as he was told and up the stairs they went. After settling into his bed and with Niko gone, Aang's only dreams would be of what style of bending Niko could teach him. And that was all he thought about for the rest of night as a smile appeared on his face as he dreamed.


	4. Buckets and balls

Good morning FanFictionville! Alright, I admit I was watching Robin Williams the other night…so sue me. It seems like this story now has a few reviews and followers and I would like to assure everyone that this will not be a Mary Sue character. If you've read chapter three you've probably figured that out by now. I'm trying to make this story as original an idea as possible. I have to thank everyone again for their reviews and comments. It's incredibly encouraging to see people taking an interest in something I want to write. I just hope I don't disappoint. Enjoy the show.

Disclaimer: _Me no own Avatar. Me dumb like rock. Ugh, huh u huh u. Now that's out of the way…on with the story!_

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Over the next few days Aang stayed relatively still, much to his distaste. Niko informed him that the medicines and salves he was using work best when the person is relaxed and still. All of the jumping around Aang was so used to doing would have to be kept to a minimum until the bandages came off. Because of this, Aang was even more hyper than before. He even had to refrain from doing any bending for the time being because of his ribs. It was torturous! To make matters worse, Niko had told him that he was some sort of warrior and/or bender earlier in the week. This made Aang as excited as Momo in a leechy nut heaven. Aang managed to keep still most of the time, and when he couldn't he worked on a small puzzle Niko had given him to work on. It consisted of a number of steel rings which were seemingly interlinked. The object of the puzzle was to have all of the rings disconnect from each other at the same time. And of course, the rings were seemingly seamless, so Aang was perplexed. This puzzle kept him busy for hours on end, and dulled some of his boredom. Sometimes, Aang would get a treat and Niko would just sit with him for hours on end and trade stories of their travels and things they had seen. Niko had truly been a traveler from a young age and had seen more of the world than Aang had thought possible. He even seemed to have something from everywhere he had been. Niko was a true wanderer.

On the morning of the fourth day (the healing took slightly longer because of Aang's constant motion) Niko walked into Aang's room with a grin that reminded Aang of Sokka when he had walked into a butcher's shop.

"Good morning Aang. And I do mean that in the finest sense of the phrase, because you should finally be ready." Niko exclaimed as if Aang was about to receive a great gift.

"Ready?" Aang sounded perplexed. "Ready for what?"

Niko chuckled and shook his head. Aang could be a bit dense at times. "Well, if you don't want to get those bandages off then that's fine with me…" Niko turned to walk back out the door.

"No, wait!" Aang launched himself up into the air with a gust of wind and landed gracefully in front of the turning form of Niko.

"Ha ha ha ha. Alright Aang, settle down. I was only joking." The look on Aang's face was just too good to pass up. "Sit down on that chair and I'll unwind the bandages and apply the soothing salve."

Aang looked confused as he sat down and let Niko unwind the many bandages around his torso, legs, and forearms. "Another salve? But didn't you just say that I was ready?"

"I did Aang, but this is not the same salve as before. The burning salve was meant to soothe the pain of healing and warm the body so the healing could take place quickly. This salve," He held up a small jar of a scentless clear jelly, "is designed to help you get your flexibility back up to par. After all of that sitting around your muscles are bound to be a little sore and tight."

Aang nodded in agreement. '_I hadn't thought of that. Niko sure does know a lot about keeping healthy._'

Niko went on, "I picked up these salves in my travels, as I did with all of my trinkets, tapestries, and the other stuff you see lying around the house. When I would pick up an item, any item at all, I would ask the vendor to tell me about it. This way, I know how it works and what it can be used for. The only way to increase your knowledge about the world is to ask questions and listen to anyone you can. You never know who has something of value that you may need later."

"But what about people younger than you are?" Questioned the Avatar.

Niko grinned as if he expected that question from Aang, "When I said anyone, I did mean anyone. Even from the smallest child you can learn something new. I learned a lot of my own bending techniques from people far younger than myself. These salves came from a lady who was considered 'dumb' because of the way she spoke. She had problems communicating with speed, but if you were patient enough she could tell stories that would boggle the mind."

Aang was perplexed and fascinated. How could a man of only twenty-one (Aang asked him earlier in the week) be so wise. He guessed that Niko had picked up his knowledge from his vast travels. But then it struck him…how could you learn bending from a child? Aang had never seen children with much bending ability that he could learn from.

"How could you learn bending from a child?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out, Aang. I will show you what I know when I believe that you can handle the training that will follow."

'_Training?_' Aang's ears perked up, "You're going to train me? Oh wow, this is awesome. I hope it's earth bending because I haven't touched that one yet, I mean I know some water bending and a little fire bending but no earth bending yet so that would be really sweet and you seem like a…"

Niko could only shake his head in amazement. This kid was really a piece of work. "You'll find out soon of enough Aang," Niko said as Aang finished his babbling. "But now that you're up and better, we should get you outside for a bit of fresh air."

"Yeehaaaaaaaw!" Aang let out a woop of joy and ran towards the open window. Without hesitating he threw himself out the window and fell towards the earth. Niko didn't look fazed at all and merely walked to the window and watched Aang float down to the ground below using his airbending skills. This was going to be a long few days, Niko thought, as he picked up Aang's forgotten shirt and shoes and walked down the stairs after the young Avatar.

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Niko could only watch as the young Avatar expelled some of his pent up energy. Hi salves must have done the trick, as Aang was tearing around the grounds at a blistering pace alternating from simply running and jumping to using his Airball technique. He truly was the Avatar. No one else could move with his grace at such an age. And yet, Aang's movement were carefree as well as being controlled. It was like a small child who had learned how to run for the first time in his life. Except, this child had super bending powers and a giant flying Bison and some pretty cool friends. Aang had asked earlier in the week about if his friends had come to see him. Niko had noted on the day he found Aang that there was a strange critter flying through the sky like he was looking for something. It must have been Appa and his friends. Aang was sure that they would not assume he was dead, but had merely got lost or even captured. He felt bad that his friends might be worried about him but he couldn't do anything about it now. His glider was gone and they were days away by now. He might as well make the best of it and learn something while he had encountered this intriguing character that was Niko.

Niko was currently outside the front of his house watching Aang as he worked on preparing his buckets and yolk to retrieve some water. He only had to do this task once a month because he had a large container inside his house in order to hold enough water for the entire month. Niko still groaned at the thought. Although, he could turn it into a workout like he usually did. Yes, that's the ticket. The stream he retrieved water from was down over a small bank, about two hundred yards away from the house. It usually took him the better part of the day to get his work done, but maybe he could get the Avatar to help him indirectly.

"Hey Aang." Niko called out as he shouldered the yolk.

"Yeah?" Aang called back from across the yard as he slowed his airbending powered run around the open area.

"How about we have some fun?"

"Fun? Yeah sweet! What kind of fun?" Aang hoped it would be some training.

"It's not training, but it'll let you open up some more of that bending power of yours. And it'll help you get to the point where I can train you." Niko answered as he started down the bank towards the stream.

"What, you mean I'm not good enough?" Aang sounded hurt as he jogged to catch up with his newfound friend.

Niko chuckled as he always did, "Don't get me wrong Aang, you're a great bender. In fact, you're the best I've ever seen at such a young age. But my style of bending is far different from anything that you're used to. This exercise is meant to expel some of that fantastic energy that you have and let you open up your power more. There's no one around here that can be carelessly hurt by your bending so you can really let it out."

"Oh. Alright then." That was just like Aang; he was never one to hold a grudge for more than a minute or two so long as there was some reasoning behind the madness. "So what are we doing?"

"Carrying water."

"Carrying water? That's it?" Aang was confused again, nothing new there.

"Yes, carrying water. But…" Aang new there was something else to it, "I'm the only one going to be carrying the water." Aang screwed up his face and Niko laughed.

"Here's how it works." And with that Niko explained to Aang how this activity was to go down. Aang was to become one with the water element of the stream standing in the middle of it. Niko would be about twenty yards away from the stream and would wait with the yolk over his shoulders. Aang would then use his waterbending and fire the water towards Niko, who would have to catch the water without spilling a drop. If Niko spilled the water, he would have to do ten two-finger pushups on one arm before running up to the house and depositing the water. However, if he didn't spill a drop, Aang would have to do the pushups, regular or one-handed, whatever he could handle. Aang was allowed to use any form of trickery, but was limited to waterbending and not turning the water into rain so that it could drop everywhere at once. All water 'globs', for lack of a better word, would have to be large enough to fill a single bucket. Aang would get a break because Niko had to run up and back to the house, which Aang thought would take about a minute. With the ground rules laid, Aang and Niko faced off.

"Are you ready Aang?" Niko called out.

"Yep. Here comes the first one." Aang yelled out as he got into his stance and becan moving his hands in a circular form to make the water rise from the stream. The cool liquid rose and formed into a string, the string then took shape as more water spilled into Aang's outstretched hands and filled to form a ball. Aang was going to take it easy the first few times to make sure Niko could handle it. With a feeling of satisfaction because he was bending again, Aang grinned and let the first ball fly and immediately began forming another one.

The water projectile flew in a tall arc towards Niko. The man grinned, '_This is too easy_.' As he readied himself for the catch. The work spun off his shoulders and around in his hands like a staff, except now the staff had a bucket at either end. As the water threatened to overshoot Niko he deftly tuned the staff in mid-spin and let fly one of the buckets. It flew up, up, up, and '_sploosh_'. The bucket had flown right in the path of the oncoming water ball and captured the oncoming wet projectile before falling towards the earth. Aang could only watch in disbelief as Niko simply hefted the yolk onto his shoulders and let the bucket fall onto the empty side of the wooden apparatus. Aang was so shocked at the move that he even dropped his newly formed water ball. Unfortunately for him, the water ball had been above his head at the time, for Aang was just ready to let another one fly. Now we had a soaked Avatar on our hands, with mouth agape and eyes wide.

Niko didn't look fazed at all. "Well come on, Aang. I'm still waiting for that next one and remember, you have to do the pushups if I catch this one." Niko grinned lazily as if this was playtime for him.

Aang started back to reality. '_He's good._' Aang considered, "But not good enough." Aang muttered to himself as he readied another projectile in a hurry and let it fly in a much straighter arc this time, and at a higher speed. "_Let's see him get this one._'

'_Yes, now we're getting somewhere._' Niko knew that Aang could do better than that if he was motivated enough. '_But he's got a lot to learn yet._'

Niko neatly let the filled bucket drop squarely on the ground so as to not spill any water and grabbed the empty bucket from the yolk and held it like a catcher's mitt. As the watery bullet came rocketing within inches of hitting the bucket, Niko sprung into motion. It was as if he was a water bender himself. Stepping back to his right with his lead right leg as the water almost hit the bucket, Niko kept the bucket moving at the same speed as the water. The water ball hit as Niko spun about halfway back and continued to spin. The momentum of the push and the water spun Niko around the whole way and left him facing Aang again…with a bucket full of water is his left hand.

Aang nearly fell back in the water in astonishment. 'H_ow did he do that without bending?_' Aang just could not believe his luck. He had never seen anyone use buckets and yolks like that before and certainly not to do what they were doing. He moved like an elemental bender, yet swore that he was not one. There was something amazing about how Niko moved that Aang recognized as pure skill and talent. His new comrade was truly a skilled master at whatever he did.

"You had better get started Aang. I believe that you have some pushups to do before I get back." Niko yelled as he leveled the yolk and took a step up the hill. And then…he took off! He ran like Aang could if he pushed his airbending to the limit, and yet there was no bending occurring. He floated across the ground as if he weighed nothing and certainly had no large buckets of water to weigh him down.

Aang immediately realized that this would be a true workout, as he dropped to the water and began pushups as fast as he could do them. With every down motion he would disappear into the cool stream of flowing blue, and with every up motion he would shake the water from his eyes and take another breath. This was going to be a hard workout…

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The two friends continued their game of 'catch' for the next two hours before calling it off. Aang had managed to get thoroughly tired and soaked from all the pushups he was doing. He just couldn't get a water bomb past Niko. Niko was, however drenched with sweat, but the ground beneath his feet was as dry and cracked as it was earlier. Aang had come so close once when he had cheated just a little. As his water stream (Aang figured it would be harder to catch if it was strung out) spun towards the waiting buckets of Niko, Aang let loose his secret weapon. He bent a small amount of water, about a mouthful, from the main projectile and let it fly in an arc above the main stream. Aang had been so pleased at himself that he laughed before he realized what had happened. Niko had seen the water break off from the main piece and thought fast. One bucket was already full and too far away to grab now, and the other bucket had to be moving at all times in order to catch the spiral of water. As the water dropped closer, Niko did something unexpected…

He opened his mouth; Plain and simple. He caught the small ball of water in his mouth and swallowed it. Aang couldn't believe his bad luck. Not only had Niko caught the spiral of water cleanly, but he had not broken the roles as he did not spill a drop of the water, because he drank it. Aang tried to protest but Niko had just grinned and took off at a blinding pace towards the water barrel so Aang had to drop and do some more pushups. As his head went under the water there were bubbles coming from under the stream which were certainly not words that anyone would want to hear.

"You did a great job today Aang. You're very good." Niko commented as he whipped off his now sweat-soaked vest and hauled on a dry long-sleeved shirt as the wind had come up while they 'played' and he was getting cold even inside the house.

"Huh? Oh, thanks Niko." Aang had almost fallen asleep on the table he was sitting at. He was exhausted from the session they had finished. "You weren't so bad yourself." Aang muttered dreamily.

"Ha ha ha, why thank you Aang." Niko said in his usual cheery voice. "I think though that you should just get something to eat and rest up. I have some more games to play over the next few days and you need to have all the energy you can. And don't feel bad about not being able to beat me yet, you will. I haven't had a good workout like that in a long time. And besides, I've been training a lot longer than you have."

"I guess so. Thanks." Aang said as he perked up from the complement. Niko was right, he did do well considering his still aching muscles and the fact that Niko was a master at…whatever he did. He turned to go upstairs and get some rest when Niko caught him.

"Before you run off Aang, would you mind taking this shirt up to my room for me. I still have some items to take care of before I settle in."

"Sure." Aang smiled as he held out his hands waiting for the soaked vest to drop into them. Well, the vest did hit his hands, but then Aang hit the floor. The vest weighed a ton! Niko reached out and picked Aang up with the vest as if he were a small puppy.

"Are you okay, Aang?" Niko smirked as he said this. He had forgotten about the fact that the vest was lined with steel threads which made it far heavier then anything Aang was expecting. "Sorry about that. I forgot to warm you that my training vest is filled with metals which make it tougher against tearing at the expense of being really heavy."

"It's okay, I was just caught of guard." This was the truth. The vest wasn't so heavy as to cause Aang problems moving up the stairs, but it still weighed about twenty pounds.

"Alright, I'll see you in morning then. Feel free to sleep or do whatever you want for the rest of the day." Niko said as he watched the young Avatar trudge up the stairs, clearly tired from their watery escapades.

"Mmmmf." Aang muttered some sort of goodbye as he waved to his friend. A nice nap would do well after he picked at some of the fruit he had left in a bowl in his room.

Niko went outside and looked up at the starry sky. '_He will be a great bender someday._' He mused as he thought about Aang. The boy moves well and has a great competitive spirit. Above all, Aang was happy. Being happy changes everything and allows people to push beyond their limits in times of trouble by thinking about something which pleases them. Niko knew that Aang would need his training if he were to defeat the fire lord by the end of the summer; and they would have to hurry. He did not wish to keep Aang from his friends very long. In truth, Niko knew where they were and had spoken to them, assuring them that Aang was alright but he needed solitude to train. '_Soon_', he though, '_Soon you'll be back with them and on your way again. I just hope you can learn what lessons I have to teach._' With that final thought, Niko went back inside the house and the noises of various chores could be heard as the evening went on into night.


	5. Darkness reveals

Whew, these additions are getting longer as I go. IF this keeps going I'll have stories inside of stories. Oh well, I can dig it.

Disclaimer: _I don't own Avatar. These stories are from one fan of the series for any other fans to read._

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Aang flopped down on the brightly colored bed in his room. He was drained! Who thought that water bending could be so exhausting?

Aang and Niko had finished up their session for the day. It was about five or six o'clock on the day as far as Aang could tell. The cliff the house was built in made the evenings get dark much quicker than usual, and it was already getting dark on the horizon. Aang turned over and gazed out the window next to his bed at the scene the setting sun was painting. It was truly beautiful. As the sun set behind the cliff, the sky began to change colors at will. At the moment, there was a glorious mix of blues and whites still above the cliff face. Further into the sky it looked as though the sky had been told a dirty joke, as it was blushing and getting darker by the moment. The blues turned to orange and amber with the clouds taking on a pink and fucia hue. The clouds wisped away into strings of spider silk on a canvas of tropical earth tones and firestorms. Colors became deeper as the sun continued to set and soon the sky was fading to greys and blacks. Aang was mesmerized with the sight until the final ounce of color faded and the sky was left in inky blackness. It reminded Aang of the polished stone floor in his room, except the floor that was the sky had diamonds fitted in it. Yes, diamonds that sparkled with an unearthly fire. Some said that the stars were giant balls of gas and fire like the sun, but Aang knew better. He knew that stars were the windows to souls gone by. When a soul left this plane, it became a star in the night sky. How well the person had lived his or her life determined the brightness of the star. Some of the most glorious stars were simple people who felt nothing for themselves and lived to help others. Aang was sure that Avatar Roku was one of those stars that sparkled when looked upon at just the right time.

And then there was the moon. It lit up the night sky, revealing all things in a light of blues and blacks. Even the weariest of travelers could look up on a clear night when the moon was full and gain strength from its white shining face. Ah, the moon; could anything be more glorious. According to Katara, no, there wasn't. Smiling at the thought of his dear friend, he wondered how they were doing without him and if they were worrying about him. Aang knew that even Sokka would worry about him after a time. But they would not lose hope in him. They knew that he could take care of himself if he had to. But he missed them still. Aang missed the way Katara could always keep confusing things straight in her head, and the way Sokka would freak out at just about anything. Aang laughed inside. They were two of a kind, those two. They professed to hate each other to no end, but Aang knew that they really cared about each other. After all, they were brother and sister. '_I hope that Appa doesn't get too grumpy while I'm gone._' The thought ran through Aang's round, tattooed head. Appa missed Aang when he wasn't around, and Aang knew he was in for the bison-licking of a lifetime when he got back to his team.

'_Bang_'

Aang nearly fell off the bed at the sound. How long had he been there just staring into space? Aang guessed it must have been a few hours, as the sky had turned black and the moon was full. He didn't realize it earlier because he was having too much fun just watching the colors change and reminiscing on his friends.

'_Bang_'

Aang definitely heard that one. He jumped from his bed to go ask Niko what that banging was al about. He tore out of the room and down the hallway. Niko's room was located at the other end of the hallway. Aang skidded to a halt in front of it and knocked.

No answer.

"Niko, are you there?" Aang spoke through the door.

Still no answer.

Aang was perplexed. He tried the door and found it wasn't locked. Pushing it open he found a room much like his own, except the colors were more of earthy greens and deep ocean blues instead of Aang's firey reds and oranges. The lamps lighting the room were different as well, Aang noted. He had not been to Niko's room as of yet, as he had just been allowed to move around that day. The lamps still hung from the ceiling, but were filled with large stones, one per lamp. Moving closer to one, Aang noticed that the stones were not exactly stones, but blobs of glass. They were filled with what looked to be…glowing water? Aang had only even seen glowing water when Katara had learned to heal using her water bending skills. This was truly unique. The lights danced through their glass casings and cast flowing water patters all over the walls and floor. The floor in particular, being made of the same polished black stone in Aang's room, looked like it was alive in this light. Aang was almost mesmerized by the sight but then shook his head. He had to go find Niko and ask him about that accursed banging.

'_Bang_'

Aang took off out the room, closing the door behind him, and launched down the first flight of stairs. '_Damn it feels good to move around again._' Aang smiled at the thought.

'_Bang_'

The young airbender scoured the rest of the home without success as the banging continued to shake the very ground ever so slightly. If Aang was an earthbender, he would have been able to follow the vibrations and find out where the source was. He would have to make a note of learning to do that once he found his earth-bending teacher. So where could the banging be coming from? And where was Niko? It dawned on the Avatar now that he may just have to do this the old fashioned way…

'_Bang_'

Aang walked out into the night and filled his lungs with the sweet, cool air. This was truly a special night to be certain. But that was not on his mind at the moment, for he had a mystery to solve. Aang listened for the next noise to set him off in the right direction.

'_Bang_'

There it was! Aang's head whipped to the left and gazed towards the far hills, illuminated by the bright night glow of the moon and stars. They looked to be about two or three kilometers away. "Looks like I'm in for another workout after all." Aang said to no one in particular as he began his jog toward with sound.

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Aang's movement through the night was like that of a small mouse. He skittered over the rocks until he reached the stream. There he waited. '_Bang_' Like the signaling of a race he launched himself over the stream with a gust of wind, looking distastefully down as it was the stream that got him so tired and wet today. Touching gracefully down in a swirl of breezes and sand, our young Avatar set off into the sparse forest. There was plenty of room to move around and various animal trails kept the ground packed firm and clear of most of the entangling roots. Aang's pace slowed now, as he could not see as well in the darkness of the forest.

'_Bang_'

Aang moved one only could when following a sound…very slowly. He listened for each thump and then judged if he was getting closer of further away from it. Moving zig-zag through the trees, Aang eventually came across a small pit, filled with tar and bubbling liquid. It was too far across even for Aang to airbend across, due to the low branches of the trees. Aang looked around for another way across. He stayed there for a few minutes until he leaned his hand against a tree and felt a snake. SNAKE!

Aang jumped back so fast it was lucky that he didn't hit anything else. But the snake did not follow. Instead, it simply stayed limp in the tree, as if it was sleeping. Aang moved closer and tempted fate a little by lighting the area with one of the only firebending stances he knew. As the flames licked from his palm to his fingers, well, they were more like sparks than flames, Aang felt stupid for freaking out as he did. Aang's snake was actually a length of thick rope.

'_This must be the way across the bubbling swamp._' Aang thought. He tested the rope and, in judging it was secure, backed up for a running start. He ran with the rope in hand and launched himself towards the swamp. Hanging on tighter than he needed, Aang swung out far over the swamp. He noticed another rope hanging down from a hidden dark area and grabbed at it. Once firmly attached Aang relinquished his grasp on the other 'snake' and swung on. The swamp was bigger than Aang thought, but the sound was getting louder.

'_Bang_'

After another two or three lengths of rope, Aang swung clear of the stinking, bubbling mess and landed in the woods again. Listening for the next sound it came much closer than Aang would have thought.

'_BANG_'

Aang had almost found the source! His heart jumped a beat with excitement. The sign of a true adventurer, being thrilled at the mere thought of adventure, of the discovery and exploration of the unknown. Aang turned on his game face and ran for what he was worth towards the sound. Within a minute, Aang saw a single torch somewhere up ahead. Aang noticed that there was a natural rock wall circling the clearing where the torch was located, and so he set off at a crawl.

'_BANG_'

Aang was nearly to the edge of the wall. It was a low wall of stones being pushed out of the ground by the frost, Aang guessed. Staying clouched, Aang slid along the length of the wall until he found an opening between two stones. What he saw made his eyes sparkle and his mouth hang open.

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_Next time: What has Aang come across, and where is Niko?_


	6. Eye of the storm

Well, I'm back ladies and gents of all ages. I hope that the story has been entertaining so far. The last chapter was a bit rushed, but I'll make up for it with this one…where a secret may be revealed!

Disclaimer: _(In Yoda Voice) Avatar, I own not. Wish I did, yeeeessss!_

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'_BANG_'

Aang was nearly to the edge of the wall. It was a low wall of stones being pushed out of the ground by the frost, Aang guessed. Staying clouched, Aang slid along the length of the wall until he found an opening between two stones. What he saw made his eyes sparkle and his mouth hang open.

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(An hour earlier.)

Niklos stacked the last wooden bowl in the oak-covered cabinet above the wash basin.

"That's the last of it." The soon to be teacher sighed. It was a sigh of relief and contentment. Washing and drying dishes were not his particularly favorite activity to occupy his time with; But it was a necessary evil. "Maybe I should just start leaving all the food in one bowl for a change." Niko laughed as he spoke. He could almost picture a group of visitors battling furiously with chopsticks and other utensils over the last piece of a delectable dish like starving wolves over the last piece of meat…falling over each other in the process. It was a rather absurd thought at best, but Niko had become accustomed to his mind wandering as he cleaned.

It had been so long now since he had any visitors to his home, much less any visitors as important as the future savior of the world. It pleased Niko to no ends to have another carefree spirit around to speak with. Most often he had to find interesting people to speak with on his travels, but they occurred not as often as he would have liked. For the most part he kept to himself and his 'unique' home. Regular society just bored him too much. They were too caught up in their own day-to-day routine to even notice the world changing around them. Even with the fire nation breathing down their necks, people seemed to remain blissfully ignorant of the impending troubles of their land.

'_I wish sometimes that I could just rip them a new hole or jam my foot into an existing one if just to bring them back to reality._' Niko frowned at the thought and found rage building within. His eyes flickered a bright silver from their usual green as he caught himself from losing control. '_Breath_' he thought.

"Relax Niko. Just chill out for a minute." Niko spoke to himself out loud when he began to lose control over his anger. It was a habit born of necessity, as he had regretted each time he lost control. His power was partially the reason he had become so 'wise' while still being so young. Attaining knowledge was a way to calm down when the stupidity of the human race got the better of his willpower. Niko would study books, machines, nature, art; anything to take his mind off the spark dwelling within. But there was an alternative form of release for his strength…although less desirable, it was more effective. He had found out that whenever he lost control, combat of any sort would release the power within and calm his spirit. It was almost as if his soul craved combat periodically to focus his mind.

Niko breathed deeply and held the breath for a moment before releasing. '_Methinks it's time for another session._' He thought as his power threatened to spike again. Ever since Aang had showed up, his suppression skills had been pushed to the limit. The power within went into overdrive and Niko found himself performing his breathing and meditation a little too often than he would have liked. Maybe it was the possibility of a new training partner which brought on this spike of power? Niko did not know for certain, but he would have to find out soon. He did not enjoy having limited control over his other self.

Sighing internally, Niko moved to the back of the house until he reached a small chest. It was covered in a black silk sheet which was quickly lifted to one side. The chest iteself was armored heavily, and contained many of the same scripts which were emblazoned on his pants. They glowed with the same silver luminescence of his hair in the moonlight and never faded. The box itself was a deep chocolate in color, being made of Koa wood. It was not flashy, but it needed not be as it was designed for only one purpose…to contain the treasures inside.

With a grin, Niko tucked the chest underneath his left arm and walked out the front door into the bright night with a purposeful walk in his gait that set him towards the one place he could truly be set free from the troubles of the world…

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(Back to present time with Aang)

Aang could not believe his eyes. Firstly, he had killed two birds with one stone. There was Niko and the source of the sound together, for they were one in the same. Though it was his newfound friend that caught his eye the most, the surrounding environment was just as worth noticing. Aang found himself at the edge of a large clearing in the woods. It was surrounded on all sides by the low rock barrier he was currently concealing himself behind. The rocks all dimly sparkled with flecks of silver and orange. On either side of the clearing there stood a pole about the same height of any normal person of the time. It held at its peak a large metal bowl which burned with an intense fire so as to light the ground of the clearing. Looking down to the floor of this wonderous place, Aang noticed a different sight. He had almost expected more of the black stone, for some unconscious reason, but instead found natural earth and…wooden poles? Or what used to be wooden poles. The ground was covered in round wooden circles which served as a much more stable floor than would the soft earth. It looked as though the poles went deep into the ground and were nearly flush with the earth itself. They were packed so tightly together that one would almost mistake it as a completely solid piece of wood with circle designs merely carved into its face.

'_Someone must have spent a lot of time driving those into the ground._' Aang thought to himself as he turned his attention to the source of his little midnight adventure.

Niko…and two somethings?

Niko stood in the middle of the clearing in a ready stance Aang had not come across before. It held the footwork of an airbending stance, designed for quickness of steps, while looked as fluid and smooth as a waterbender in mid flight. Yet there was the stability of an earthbender with the ferocity of a firebender hidden beneath the stance. All this was apparent to Aang even though Niko was not moving at that moment. It came from his own background in combat and having to assess your opponent before going into battle. There was also something different about the green warrior himself.

Niko had let his hair out of the twine binding he usually kept it in, and it flowed…up? Aang blinked at the sight and then checked the air. Nope, there was no wind to speak of, and yet here was his friend's silvery mane of hair sweeping backwards and upwards ever so slightly as if there was a constant wind whirling around him. Niko's hair also shone with the brightness of the moon, and looked as though it glowed in the bright night. Aang, tearing his eyes from the spectacle, considered the other changes in his friend's appearance. His eyes had become brighter in the light and were now colored silver around the green pupils instead of their natural white. The pupils of his eyes now nearly glowed in the moonlight and contained the richest green Aang had ever seen. It was as if all the colors of a forest were contained in Niko's eyes. But Aang's shuddered involuntarily, for the eyes were not as carefree as he had seen before. They looked mystical, wise, and dangerous all the while. They gazed into the darkness with the concentration of a fierce predator, taking in all of the surroundings in a single glance and weighing the options laid before them before acting. Aang had to again force himself away from the sight and continue to note the changes in Niko. His shirt was now gone, and exposed was the muscles Aang knew must be hidden. Niko's chest heaved with each controlled breath he took, his stomach tightened from years of training. NIko's back was corded with muscles which twitched at each rise and fall of his breath. There was a single long scar running down his back from his right shoulder to just above where his pants met his waist. It looked deep and ragged. '_That must have hurt._' Aang considered. But that was not the extent of the changes. Niko's pants now glowed! Well, to be more precise, the silver lettering now glowed intermittently. They seemed to be in a state of flux. There were no shoes again on Niko's feet, but Aang spotted a shirt and sandals sitting on the far side of the clearing, along side a small open chest.

'_Strange._' Thought Aang. '_It all looks so familiar in some way._' Niko looked so powerful in that form. Everything seemed perfect and controlled, while still being coiled and deadly in nature. He was relaxed, yet tense; as if waiting for some great event to force him into action. His face a picture of intensity and control being melded into an expression much like Aang's Avatar Spirit form.

'_That's it._' Aang exclaimed in his mind. '_That's where I've seen this look before. My Avatar Spirit. When it takes control…oh dear._' Aang had realized then that he should stay where he is. When his Avatar Spirit took over, Aang became a whirlwind of power, chaos, and destruction. Power crackled at his fingertips and his face looked much like Niko's at the moment. It was uncanny…except for the lack of tattoos, bald head, and blue glow, Niko could have been mistaken for another Avatar. '_But he can't be another Avatar._' Aang realized.

So then what was he?

Aang thought back to their conversation about Niko being a bender.

'_He did say he was a different sort of bender. I guess I'm going to find out what kind. And what are those two floating ball-thingy's?_' Aang thought to himself. There were two floating orbs circling around Niko. One flashed green and white, while the other blue and red. The 'balls' floated and circled just out of range of the ready warrior as if waiting for something. Aang he grinned and settled his head on his arms for the show that was surely to come, for the air crackled with raw energy like the eye of a storm. Aang could feel that something awe-inspiring was about to take place and he didn't want to miss it.

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Niko stared into nothingness. He was now one with his entire being. Nothing was outside his grasp to do and nothing could stop him. He felt omnipotent and small at the same time. On the one hand, he had power of the sort that could destroy opponents with ease. On the other, he could sense the entire world around him, and realized just how small he really was. He could feel the rhythm of the earth and streams, the pull of the moon and stars, the heat from the sun, and the lives of all living things around him. He had halted his practice because of this ability as he sensed a new force enter his field of power.

It was something…no, someone…of great potential power.

'_Aang._'

Niko knew that this would happen eventually, but he did not want to scare Aang if he was not ready. But such thoughts could not be dwelled on at this time as his full concentration was needed for this task. Niko forced his focus from the spire of energy that was Aang, and drifted back inside himself. Enveloped in his own terrible power so as to find release from it, Niko saw energy as auras surrounding an object. The orbs in front of him burned like suns in his eyes normally, but Aang's energy made these two objects of power appear to him like candles next to a burning sun. It was so tempting to engage that energy, but Aang was not ready. He would have to wait, Niko knew.

'_Focus._' Niko slapped himself mentally to draw further into himself. The floating orbs, as if sensing their opponent was again ready to be challenged, moved faster and more erratic in pattern. Niko could sense them at all times, and when the time was right…

'_Strike._'

Niko's inner self bellowed and shook the very soul of his being; And strike he did…

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I've been playing with the idea of writing a second story as to how Niko got his scars and developed his powers. Almost like a chronicles of his adventures. If you want to see it written, let me know and I'll toy with the idea some more once this piece is finished.

I know you guys are probably pissed at me again for putting off revealing the nature of Niko's powers and what the two floating orbs are, but I just can't help myself. Besides I'm still playing with some creative ideas before I get into the first true combat scene of the story. Curse all you want, but the next chapter will put all of your anxiousness to rest, although it's probably going to end up being 'uber' lengthy. Thus is the way of things, I guess.


	7. Intermission Update

Yoha Broha! (I have KP on the brain.) Welcome to the intermission portion of the story. I'm going to explain some questions I know are going to come up when everyone reads up to this point.

First off, Niko is not truly super powerful…at least not like Aang can be. I made it seem that way in order to get across the full magnitude of his other half. But apparently he is not without his own daemons.

Next, we have the whole Mary Sue issue. This is not another Mary Sue! The character has some serious flaws in his mind, emotions, and a weakness that will be revealed in due time. Every character has their nemesis in some form or another, and Niko is no exception to the rule. Aang's downfall is he is young and inexperienced. (Plus the added pressure of learning 4 elements in a short time and saving the world.) My character is older, and more experienced so I am trying to make the physical prowess of his character more skilled, while his emotional side will turn out to be a detriment, along with a physical weakness of sorts.

I hope that this alleviates some of the fears people have been coming to me with about the whole Mary Sue issue. Aang, as the main character, will eventually have learned all he can. In doing so, he will be potentially stronger than Niko, but where he is so inexperienced it will take him some time later to absorb it all.

Cheers everyone and happy reading.

P.S. I just received a concerned review about if this will be slash at all. First and foremost…no! I'm not putting anything sexual into this story unless Niko turns out to have a girlfriend. That's all. Aang's too cool to put into one of those disgusting slash stories.


	8. Eruption of power

Welcome back all. I'd like to start off this session by thanking Kat for her reviews. They've brought up some issues that I never noticed and for that I'm grateful. And to clarify once again, there is no slash in this. Uh-uh, no! None, nodda, zero. Niko may end up with a girlfriend or something but that's it! Nothing with Aang and Niko. I'm sorry to anyone who was confused by my writing style or summary, and also sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to an AangOC slash. It just doesn't exist in my head.

Right then, now we get back to the story. Where was I…Ah, yes! I believe Niko was about to go ballistic in training mode. Right then, here we go…

Disclaimer: _You know the drill._

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'_Strike._'

Niko's inner self bellowed and shook the very soul of his being; And strike he did!

He moved as if in a trance, or a dreamscape, where everything around him was his to create and destroy as he wished. There was a purpose in his driving steps of a singular thought…

'_Strike fast; strike hard; no mercy!_'

(B for Blue)

(W for White)

(G for Green)

(R for Red)

Dashing forward as the G (_now all orbs will be noted by single capital letters signifying which color_) ball passed through his vision, Niko spun on his heels and delivered a blinding fast spinning back-fist to his target. On contact, the G ball careened way into the black before halting suddenly at the edge of the clearing and bouncing off some invisible wall. The low stones glowed brighter where the circular projectile had passed overhead before returning to their original luminescence. The G ball then changed colors to W and changed its trajectory. It now flew fast and whimsical, like it floated in air and thrived in the breezes.

After batting away the G ball, Niko continued his spin until he faced the now R ball, which had picked up speed and flew in straight lines and turned at sharp angles. After another turn, the R projectile glowed bright and flew like a fireball toward its target. Niko stepped forward and met the ball with a straight lead punch, throwing his hips into the mix to get more power. The ball glanced off the driving fist and continued its path past his right shoulder, missing its intended target. The R ball flew toward the outer ring of stones but turned quickly before reaching the limits of the clearing. It remained glowing as brightly as a miniature red sun and flew back towards its aggressor for another round.

'_Damn._' Thought Niko. '_I thought that move would work._ _Maybe this one will…_'

His thoughts trailed off as he dodged as blow to the head from the W ball and began a hopping stance like a…

'_Firebender._' Aang's mind exploded with the thought.

True to Aang's assessment, Niko mimicked a picture perfect firebending punch (like the ones the soldiers do at the intro to the show.) But no fire spewed from his fist. Instead, the R ball struck his fist, sending a small spray of sparks into the air, and flew off to connect with the invisible wall that was the silver stones and change color to B. Niko crouched from where he stood and twisted ever so slightly with his palms turned towards the ground. With a deep breath he launched into a spiral into the air with the precision of an airbender in flight. The W ball had been spinning around Niko's body, trying to get a strike in. It followed its opponent into the air and swirled around in the opposide direction, trying to sense an opening for attack. But it didn't get the chance, as Niko's foot lashed out in mid-spin and struck the W ball not once, but twice to send it off to the wall of silver rocks to turn back into a G projectile. Landing with no more sound than a leaf falling on a fall day, Niko threw his arms up into an x-block just in time to have the B ball pummel his forearms and send him reeling at the blow. The ball did not stop there, as it flowed in graceful arcs towards its target before lashing out again. Niko spun off the B sphere as it came within inches of striking his shoulder.

'_Well that was messy._' Mused Niko. The balls were moving faster and more agressive than he had expected them to, as if they wanted to impress their famous Audience by pummeling him. '_Well then, if they want to put on a show…'_

"Let's dance." Niko said quietly to no one in particular.

The balls apparently heard him though, as they whirled around again, like the beginning of the fight, circling at eye level just out of range of their opponent. Niko dropped his stance suddenly into a low horse-stance and drew his hands back in the classical style, next to his hips. Drawing in a deep breath, which he held for just a moment, and he centered his power. As he breathed out, pushing his hands out in unison, his hair flickered faster as if the 'wind' had picked up. His eyes closed for a moment, and then opened to reveal that they had turned almost completely silver now. The writing on his pants now glowed constantly. Niko's muscles relaxed visibly as he finished his breath. Niko drew his feet closer together and brought his hands up with one held out in front of his body and the other drawn back to rest by his chin, both in an open palm stance. Niko's body was angled ever so slightly as he swayed with the 'breeze'. Up and down he flowed like a Lilly pad would ride the small ripples in a pond, he waited. His face was calm, peaceful, and a small smile graced the corners of his mouth. He was at one with himself to his fullest extent. There was no greater state for him. This was his present, past, and future. This is his heaven and hell. This is the moment he felt alive, and he enjoyed every minute of it.

'_Now, we shall dance._' Mused Niko as he motioned with a shift of his foot that he was ready. The orbs heard his thoughts and flew away toward the outside ring. They were merely building up speed, and flew towards him from opposite sides once they reached the edge. They hissed with power and purpose as they flew forward, intent on a relentless assault.

Aang's face fell as they moved towards their target. '_They'll kill him._' Aang waited for the blow to land, but nothing came…

Niko's smile widened as the projectiles bore down on him. He could sense their intent; they wanted to hurt him. That was good. At the last possible second he moved. No, to say he moved would be like saying a white crane just flapped its wings. Niko moved as a whole being, with fluidity and grace. He stepped back from the balls, leading with his head, as they flashed past his face and collided with each other.

'_Boom._'

In a flash of light and sound the balls collided in mid-flight. The light was not blinding, but it made Aang blink for a moment. Aang's eyes lit up. There was the sound he had been looking for. But he could not dwell on his current findings, as the dance began anew.

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The balls ricocheted off each other and crashed into the invisible walls encasing them to the arena. One struck the 'roof' and the other a side wall, but neither paused. They struck and bounced from the energy of the wall, gaining speed and momentum as they flew back towards their target.

The dance was fast now. Colors mingled with each other and changed on a whim. Niko would twist and bend around his attackers, allowing just enough room so as to not get hit. He jumped through the air like a great air bender, and flowed through his steps like waterbending was his chosen art. He was graceful and remained smiling all the while. It looked as though he was happy to push himself in this manner. For a while Niko appeared content to merely dodge his attackers without striking back, that is, until the glowing orbs managed to brush his hair with their passing.

'_Move._' His spirit urged him. And he took up the attack again.

Now his movements were a combination of the four elements, Aang noted. He would defend in the styles of air, earth, and water, flowing around his targets at times and performing a strong block the next. His stance would change from a solid stone to a feather in the breeze seamlessly and effortlessly. When he attacked, Niko lashed out with ferocious speed and power combining the styles of fire, earth, and water. He would whirl sideways in the air like a firebending circle and then land to plant both feet and strike a devastating side-kick or elbow strike that oozed earthbending. When Niko would have to attack one object and then defend quickly, his stance became more of a water bender as he flowed around his target, only to lash out as it passed by. Then there were moves Aang could only assume were Niko's own, as he had not seen them before. He would tumble along the ground sometimes, looking like a small monkey playing a game. Then Niko would fall to the ground stiff as a board the next moment in order to dodge a flying projectile. Sometimes Niko would flop around like a drunken man wandering the streets, and then would strike out with the speed and precision of a snake. All the while, Niko smiled. He smiled to the joy of combat, and to the thrill of being alive. He smiled to the sun, moon, and stars, for they gave him inspiration. He smiled to the trees, rocks, streams, and animals, who were so kind with their gifts to let him live. And he smiled to the people of this world who had shown him kindness in his times of need. On and on the dance went, with Niko taking on the traits of a whirling dervish.

Aang watched with amazement at the skill of his friend. He noted that although the movements were simple, not complex, and smooth, not forced. All tension was gone from Niko's body as he performed a dance to the elements, a dance to the people, and a dance to nature all combined in harmony. He was in balance with himself and with his being, and he was happy. Aang watched and it was good…

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Niko whirled around for the last time as the balls passed on either side of his torso and he smiled at the breeze that passed his face. He was content now, and he knew it was time to go. It had been nearly an hour since he began his first dance, and five minutes since he entered 'bliss'.

'_I am content._' Niko's inner voice spoke through the haze of his mind. '_It is time to rest._'

Niko smiled wide in agreement and ceased his twirl. Reaching into the waist of his pants he drew out two black silk pouches, brandishing one in each hand. The balls came flying back toward him, one in front of the other, intent on continuing the fight. But they would not be given the chance. As they flew past, Niko twisted and brought the pouches open with the wind he created in his motion. Launching into a slow flip over his targets, Niko looked down as they passed under his head. Reaching out, he bagged one, and then the other, holding onto the drawstrings so they drew tight from the momentum of the balls. As he landed in a crouch, the pouches hung limply at his sides, as if they held plain rocks instead of the deadly orbs that had just tried to end his life. Niko straightened up, breathing deep as he closed his eyes, and let out the breath. Immediately his hair ceased to glow, the markings on his pants returning to their normal state of inertness. Opening his eyes, which had turned back to their normal green, his smile fell and Niko collapsed to his knees.

"Niko." Aang yelled as he made his presence known. Hopping over the now grey rocks of the wall, he rushed to his friend's aid. As Aang drew closer, he could see that Niko was exhausted. He was sweating profusely, his hair matted to his head and neck. Niko had dropped again and was now on all fours, gasping for breath and wincing in pain. His eyes were bugged open as if he was going into shock.

"Niko, are you okay?" No answer. "Niko, do you need help?" Still no answer.

Aang didn't know what else he could do. He was about to create a small breeze to cool his friend when Niko dropped and rolled onto his side, shaking with exhaustion and cold. Eyes closed tight in pain.

"Niko!" Aang screamed in fear. There was nothing he could do. If Katara was here, she's know what to do. Aang wasn't a healer, he was a fighter. He watched helplessly as his friend sucked air into his burning lungs, attempting to cool his already shaking body.

He had reached his limit. '_I let the dance go on too long._' Niko thought through the clouds of pain that swept through his mind and body. '_I just hope Aang can carry a deadweight like me._' Niko laughed internally at the thought as blackness took his mind.

Niko's body had went limp, as if he was… '_No._' Aang thought.

"You can't be dead. Not yet!" Aang nearly cried. He did not like to see people in pain, especially not good people. Aang remembered some lessons that Katara had taught him, and reached out to Niko's neck to see if he still had a pulse.

He did; and he was breathing.

Aang breathed a visible sigh of relief. He was going to be O.K.

Aang grabbed the two black pouches and ran towards the chest on the far side. He knew somehow that they fit here, and closed the lid tight around them. The silver writing flickered on the lid as it closed, but Aang was too busy to notice. He had already grabbed the chest along with the sandals and shirt and dashed to his fallen friend. Aang lifted Niko up to a sitting position, which wasn't the easiest thing to do for the young Avatar, and dressed the man in his discarded shirt. Niko visibly stopped shivering and lay quiet. This was a good sign. Placing Niko's sandals on his feet, Aang went about maneuvering the heavy man into a resting position.

'_He needs fire._' Aang thought as he looked to the two torches. Lashing out with his airbending, Aang lifted the two stakes out of the ground and sent them spinning over to him. He grabbed them as they flew towards him and struck the stakes with his knee, making them shorter. When they were of sufficient length, Aang drove them back into the ground, burying them to the hilt of the flames. He drove them close enough together that it now appeared that a small fire had been created between the two friends.

'_Now to add more fuel._' Aang thought, as he looked around. There was not much in the way of dead fuel that would readily burn. The trees were strong and green, and Aang could not bring himself to tear them down.

"Looks like I'm doing this the hard way."

Aang settled down on the opposite side of the fire to his friend and closed his eyes. He had learned a little about what made up firebending, and apparently it was 'all in the breath'. He focused himself and began to breathe through his stomach. The flames grew higher and burned with a greater heat as he breathed out, and fell slightly when Aang breathed in. Aang would sit like this until Niko woke up, and then, he would hopefully get some answers.

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_Next time: Within Niko's mind! What could possibly have driven him this far?_


	9. Xinosai

Whew! This has been a hectic couple of days for me. I get my proposal back from my marker and find out that it needs some drastic changes. Fine…I can deal with that. Then I go out three nights in a row along with racing and roller skiing on the weekend to add insult to injury. And I've gotten back onto the dating scene in the midst of all this and am finally starting to realize how time consuming and nerve wracking that activity is. Gnah!

Anywho! (That was intentional.) Time to refocus on the task at hand. To recap, Aang's taking care of Niko who collapsed after a brilliant display of his unique set of skills. Now we delve deeper into the psyche that is Nokolos Okram. This should be fun…so hold onto 'yer hats ladees and genteelmen! This is gonna' be a rip roarin' good time…Yeeeeeeehaaaaaawwww pardner. (Picture that Texan from the Simpsons always hollering and firing his guns off.)

Disclaimer: _Whatever dudes. This is such a waste of space it's not fit. But again, I don't own Avatar, and probably never will. One can hope and dream though._

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The onyx blackness of sleep and exhaustion began to clear, and in its place formed a wondrous sight.

'_Peaceful._'

Niko's mind wandered as he gazed contentedly out into nothingness. In the daze that he was currently in, it took Niko a few moments to realize where he was. His eyes sharpened, pupils dilating as his mind crossed from the realm of existence to cognitive thought.

'_Damn, that one must have hurt more than I thought. At least the place hasn't changed much since I've been gone._'

Niko sat up and took in his surroundings. He was in a clearing much like the one he had passed out in, but for one exception…that was all that existed. There was nothing outside the ring of rocks except shades of white and gray melded together like the mists of a great waterfall. Within the clearing there stood another being, and he smiled widely as if he lived in this place.

"I thought that you'd be gone by this time, old man!" Niko bellowed out to the shadowy figure.

"You must know me better than that by now. After all, this is your dreamscape."

Niko grinned wryly. Yes, this was his head, and his dreams. Damn it all though if he could sometimes wish things were different. His head had been sharing the space with this figure for many, many years, and just like people could, the two got on each other's nerves.

Niko stodd and walked towards the man, who was still shrouded in the mist. "You know, you could have warned me that you were going to go that hard this time. You really did me in with that one, Xinosai." (Shin-oh-say)

"I couldn't help myself." Xinosai held up withered hands in defense. "I just had to put on a good show. Besides, Yokana and Miruwai were enjoying it as well."

"Yes, yes they were. But it didn't help that you egged them on."

Yokana was a lesser spirit born of fire and air, while Miruwai was born of water and earth. They found homes within the two orbs and were let out to 'play', as Xinosai so eloquently put it. Being restless as spirits usually are, their practice times kept Niko on his toes, today being the worst he's seen them in many years since his initial training. (How Niko came upon these creatures…will have to wait for another time.)

"Please, sit and have a drink with me." Xinosai motioned as the mist cleared from his person and revealed his presence fully to Niko.

'_He hasn't aged a bit._' Niko thought with disgust.

Xinosai was quite the elderly man, and looked to be as ancient as time itself. Yet, there was an intense spark of life within his eyes that refused to go out over the course of time. He stood nearly as tall as Niko, but his frame was smaller and wispier due to his age. Garbed in deep browns which were outlined in intense whites, Xenosai sat quite regally on a simple wooden stool. His robes were long and layered, providing the comfort of warmth and comfort rather than the more form-fitting and practical combat robes Niko wore. They contained similar symbols along the white areas to those along Niko's pants, and he wore a similar small medallion. Xenosai's pupils were colored a bright orange, and danced with some hidden fire. His was long and kept back by a buckle make of bone, allowing the hair to spill relatively freely down his back. It was a style that was out of date by the day's standards, but it did fir the old man. His skin was cracked with age, but Xenosai still appeared healthy enough. In front of the old man there lay a table. A single tall bottle lay in the centre of the table, as well as a cup in front of each chair. Both simple cups and the bottle were filled with a pale blue liquid.

"So tell me Niko; What do you see in the boy?"

Niko groaned as he sat down across from the man. "Xeno, you've asked me this time and time again ever since Aang care into our care. You know as well as I do that he has the potential to be the greatest bender of them all! Besides, he needs all the help that he can get before the end of the summer if he wished to have a chance of facing Fire Lord Ozai."

"I know I have." The old man chuckled. "But I just like watching the look on your face when I ask." He took a sit from his cup.

"Why did I ever agree to let you teach me style bending in the first place?" Niko thought out loud. "And on top of that, remind me again why I made that deal with you to pester me inside my head until I was 'ready', as you so blatantly put it fifteen years ago?" Niko ended his verbal thought process with the action of downing the contents of his cup in a single, violent gulp.

"Well, you've survived many the adventures because of my training, and still more because I was there at times to strengthen your emotions in battle."

"Strengthen my emotions; is that what you call it now? Taking over my body whenever I'm stressed out in order to relive your glory days is hardly what I would consider aiding!" Niko growled as he poured himself another cup of the blue drink.

"I can't help it if I'm still a bit better at this than you are." Xenosai joked outwardly in between sips of his drink. "But methinks that you'll soon be rid of me anyhow…"

Niko coughed as he nearly choked on his drink. "Blast it all!" He swore, "What do you mean you'll be gone soon? Are you going on vacation to another brain somewhere?" Joking was all Niko could do to not freak out more at the moment. Sure, the old man got on his nerves, but he was still his great-grandfather and teacher. They had been together for so long that it was indiscernible sometimes where one started and the other ended. Niko both loved and hated his great-grandfather, as is the norm when you've come to rely on someone for so long.

Xenosai merely nodded at his grandson's outburst. He set down his cup and folded his hands in his lap before continuing. "My time here is drawing to a close, as something in your future will complete your training." He paused for effect, "You are already a magnificent Style-bender, one that even my great-grandfather would be proud of. You have a strong body, and a creative mind, if sometimes only to my constant nagging you to train while you want to read books to drown me out. And you are right, I can't expect you to help me relive my past as a traveling warrior, nor can I stay here forever. I am so very old, Nokolos, and I now think that's it's time to rest."

Niko gazed unbelievingly at Xenosai. The old man had almost seemed to age visibly within the last few sentences he had spoken, and was now revealed as how truly old he was. Even his vibrant eyes dimmed, if just a little.

"But, you don't have to go…I'm sorry for what I said. You've been there for me for so long, great-grandfather, ever since your…accident." Niko could not bear himself to relive that terrifying moment just yet. He shook his head to clear it of the thought and tried to put on a brave face, "And besides, who would else could put up with my imagination?"

Xenosai chuckled at the thought. His grandson was truly a piece of work. Nokolos had proven himself to be both kind and playful, like a small child, while being able to summon the courage and ferocity of a born warrior, when needed. His sense of fun was never diminished, and Nokolos always made time for his family and friends. Most of all, Nokolos had allowed old Xenosai's spirit to take up dwelling inside his own body. It was a sacrifice only the pure of heart would make, and only the truly divine could keep for such a long time. Xenosai had plagued him with his presence long enough, and his warrior tendencies kept nagging at him. He had been a powerful warrior in his day, and even fought alongside one of the earlier Avatars. But his bloodlust drove his grandson mad, and he knew it. Regretfully, he had sometimes felt the rage overpower him, and in doing so, overpowered the will of his grandson. Niko was not in control when that happened, and Xenosai had done some terrible things in his earlier years, before Niko had finally become his equal and kept his in check. The scar that ran along Niko's back was his fault. Yes, he was finally ready. Niko would be ready to take on the full responsibility of his powers and do with them what he would. Xenosai was tired of forcing Niko to play his games for him, and realized over the years of watching his grandson grow up, that it was time that he let go of his games too.

"I will never truly be gone, but I will be gone from your mind. Your dreams will be yours, your thoughts will be yours along, and your power will be fully relinquished to you."

'_My power!_' Niko gasped at the thought.

His great-grandfather's spirit had always been mostly in control of his powers when it came to times of strife during his younger days. He was far more experience, if somewhat reckless, at controlling the family gifts. Niko had gained his deep back-scar from his great-grandfather's recklessness, and vowed from that time so long ago that he would take control some day. And he trained his mind and body incessantly after that in order to do so. He still let Xenosai out to play sometimes, but only in the confines of a safe environment like the training clearing. In a real battle, there would be too much blood on his hands if his great-grandfather had his way, which is why he had taken control so long ago. Sometimes, he wondered if his grandfather had always wanted his to take control, and pushed his will to the limit in order to prepare him for the true extent of his powers. Now, he would be in control, and would be able to unleash his powers fully to his own devices, without having to hold back the more violent intents of his Xenosai.

Niko merely sat there for a while, quietly staring into the empty cup that sat on the table before him. He did not want to let go of the past, as his great-grandfather had taught him so much through all of the pain of the earlier years. But he knew internally that it was time...time for him to say goodbye to the past, and welcome the future with open arms.

"When will you be going?"

"I will be leaving with the rising of the sun." Xenosai said quietly, "You will have complete control over your powers when you wake, without having to push me around in the background. You carry the power of our family, Niko, and I know that you will carry it well. You have overcome many trials over your short time on this earth, and will continue to do so I am sure. But you have above all, made an old man proud. You saw that problem that I could be and overcame it. You have given my spirit a home when it was not yet ready to leave this world, and for that I will be eternally grateful."

Niko and Xenosai stood as if on some hidden clue and stared at each other for a while. Their eyes spoke more in those few moments then any number of libraries could. With an unheard and unseen signal, they embraced each other as a single tear ran down each of their faces.

"I love you great-grandfather." Niko's voice cracked with emotion as he held the older man.

"And I love you, Nokolos." Xenosai said as he smiled through his tears.

Breaking the embrace after another tear threatened to fall down his face, Xenosai stood back from Niko and straightened up to his full height as he began to recite a long practiced speech, though it was hardly necessary at this point. His voice boomed with a long-forgotten strength.

"Nokolos Okram, of the house of Okram, keeper of the style of our forefathers, I relinquish my stay on your mind and body. You are now the sole guardian of our family spirit and bending style. Teach whom you wish and use your power as you deem fit. You are now an official Style Bender!"

With that last set of words, Xenosai glowed and shrank into a ball of unearthly silver light. The light crashed into Niko's chest and caused his body to arch, tense under the pressure of power. Niko felt the power run screaming through his veins and…nothing. It was over, his dreamscape was his own as the power became one with him.

"Thank you great-grandfather, and sleep well." Niko said quietly as he waited for the sun to rise and wake him from his slumber. Niko breathed a sigh of contentment, as his body began to awaken, and he was dragged back to the world of the living, and his purpose was never so clear.

'_Aang, you had best be ready for this, because you'll never be pushed this hard ever again!_' Niko's real face grinned. This was going to be fun!

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Well, you're stuck now guys. I'll do a back story about Niko's family history/grandfather/Niko's training if I get enough requests. For now, though, you're just going to have to accept what questions I've laid out for you. I will consider explaining it all throughout the current story, but it would take away from the adventure(s) I have planned for the two friends. I hope you enjoyed, and please review if you get the chance, as I love to hear what everyone is thinking.

Cheers,

Neal


	10. New dawn

It's Thursday, and damn it all if I don't have to go and run my guts out again today for XC practice. Ugh! I guess that's the price I have to pay for being able to eat as much as I do and shite. Oh…and sorry about confusing Ty Lee with Toph. My bad! I don't have cable anymore and I never got to see those two characters so I was a bit confused as to their roles and such.

Anyhow, I'm back again with another story installment to Aang and Niko's adventures. Everyone has been really supportive thusfar, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to review my work. Take care and enjoy.

Disclaimer: _Don't own Avatar_. (I notice that my disclaimers are getting rather short.)

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The fire had gone out a few hours before, but Aang had died out before then. He just didn't have the concentration at this time to fire bend…and he was slightly scared of his own powers since he burnt Katara that one time. But this was an emergency and Aang would do whatever it took. But now, he was in dream land…

_Dreamscape_

"Yippeeeeee!"

"Wahoooooooo!"

Aang and kid Bumi had found a new set of slides and were testing out an even faster method of travel…or fun, whichever you wanted to term it as. Bumi had thought of another way to make the earth kingdom chutes more fun…wheels! He and Aang had strapped wheels to the bottom of the carts and then set off down the tracks.

"Aang, duck!"

"What…agggghhhhhhhh!"

Aang had turned around to grin wildly at Bumi for a moment, when a giant face appeared in front of them. When Aang turned around, he was sure that they would crash into the face and screamed…

_Back to Reality_

"Aaaaaaaggghhh!"

Aang sat up with a start. His face was drenched in sweat, and he was breathing heavily from the dream he had.

"Whew," Aang breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that it was just a dream, "But that was still so cool!" Aang once again managed to put a positive spin on things even when it terrified him. "I'll have to tell Bumi about that wheel thing next time I s-..."

Aang trailed off as he remembered what had happened the night before.

"Niko."

Aang spun around on his butt to look across the other side of the fire pit. It had long since gone out, but the sun was up and shining brightly. The magnificent orb of flame warmed the young Avatar as he saw that everything was as it should be. The fire was out, the chest was still there, Niko was gone, the birds were chirping…

'_Niko's gone!_'

Aang shot up into the air with a burst of bending and landed in a rush of dust and pebbles. Where could someone go who was injured as badly as Niko apparently was the night before? Aang took note that all of Niko's clothing were gone.

"At least he's not running around naked." Aang outwardly thought.

"No I'm not quite up for streaking at this hour of the morning, thank you very much."

Aang fell over in shock and landed on his face as he tried to locate the familiar voice. Scrambling back up, Aang held his nose and mouth with both hands and tried to get the pain to go away. The next sounds Aang heard didn't help much.

'_Laughter._'

Yes, laughter. And not just regular laughter, but full out belly laughter. It was the kind of laughter that would make your sides hurt before too long and your whole body would shake with the effort. It reminded Aang of the foolish predicaments Sokka used to get into. But the voice was what really added insult to injury. As Aang's vision came into focus, blinking his eyes repeatedly to get rid of the involuntary tears that were clouding his vision, Aang came across a person he thought might not have lived through the night. And if Aang had his way soon enough, he might not live through the next ten minutes.

There stood Niko, in all of his silvery-haired glory, bent over double while threatening to die on the spot from laughing so hard. He looked…healthy; and alive! Aang couldn't believe his luck. Here was a man who had nearly gone through a life and death experience from being possessed by…something…and all he could do was stand there and laugh at Aang's misfortune as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry Aang…ha ha ha ha…but I…he he he he…just couldn't…cough cough ha cough…help myself again. Gasp You're just too easy too…uh oh!"

"NIKO!"

Niko's face couldn't help but remained amused at the young Avatar. Not only was Aang's face red enough from the fall he took after his shocking wake up call, but now he was fuming like a mad badgermole who had found firebenders occupying their tunnels. The boy was just too comical as he stood there fuming.

"Now Aang," reasoned Niko, "Let's not be hasty here…"

"Ghaaaaaaaah! I'll get you for that. Come here you little…"

Niko never got to finish his plea for reason as he was too busy running around in circles from an enraged Avatar. Lucky for him, Aang wasn't using his other bending skills and relied only on his airbending to propel him around. Aang was chasing Niko around, throwing curses and other profanities his way. Niko knew that Aang would calm down soon enough, but for the time being Niko would prefer if he was not caught by the young Avatar in training.

'_I hope that you still have some energy left after this Aang, became we still have a lot of work to do._' Niko thought as he dodged yet another dive-tackle from Aang, sending the little Avatar skidding nose first into the dirt again. Niko chuckled at the sight. '_Now he really does look like a badgermole._' No time to think now though, as Niko took off through the woods towards his home with a very dirty, very miffed Aang following close behind. The cloud of dust the two kicked up could be seen weaving through the forest.

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"Are, gasp, you, gasp, done, gasp, yet?" Niko managed to get out between his now most important activity…breathing.

"Mummmmblllllll, bubbbblleeee, pblllllleelellelel!"

Niko was sitting on top of a still struggling Aang…in the river. Aang's head was below water now and he was still trying to get back at Niko for his behavior earlier that morning. They had chased each other all over the swamp, with Aang even getting one foot stuck in the bubbling tar pits for a few moments while taking a turn too fast after Niko. The two warriors had nearly exhausted themselves chasing each other over rocks, into holes, across streams (which Niko was glad that Aang was not in the presence of mind to use his water bending or he really would have a job on his hands) and generally everywhere else they could possibly go. They were now back at the stream which ran just a small ways downhill from Niko's cliff-side home. Niko had finally managed to maneuver himself behind his young attacker and force his head into the cool water. He was hoping that the need for air and the shock of the glacier-cooled stream would bring Aang back to reality. It turns out, that he was right. As soon as Aang realized that he needed to breathe, he stopped his incessant struggling and relaxed while mumbling something incoherent. Niko took that as a good sign and released his grip on Aang's bald, but now much cleaner, head.

Gasping, Aang's head shot out of the cool water and he clawed his way to the shore. Both combatants, now thoroughly soaked and tired, lay on the bank breathing heavily and staring at each other, as their heads were turned that way. At first, their looks were all business, still alluding to the possibility that they would go at it again. But that all changed. First, the stare was broken, as someone blinked. Then their bodies began to tremor, and their mouths started to curl up on the ends. Finally, the two burst at the seams and began to laugh at each other's state of dress, dirt, and just outright foolishness. Thus is the mark of two true friends was forged.

Calming down after a moment of mirth and laughter, the two friends sat up and began their conversation anew. Aang was the first to speak,

"Hey Niko," Aang said, causing Niko's right eyebrow to raise up in an intrigued manner, "What was that whole fainting thing all about? I mean, you looked absolutely amazing when you were fighting those two orb-thingies."

"I suppose I did, and thank you Aang for your concern. I'm sorry about scaring you like that, but I can't control how I react sometimes. But I tell you what…if you bend this water from our clothes , I'll tell you what my powers are all about, why some of me glows, and why I collapsed like I did last night. Alright?"

Aang nodded vigorously and began bending the water from their clothes and depositing it back in the river. With this done, the two walked to a large flat-topped boulder downstream some ways. Aang, of course, whirled himself up to the top with his airbending, while Niko scrambled up just like a spider would. They sat facing each other, Aang in his cross-legged form and Niko leaned back with one leg held straight out and the other leg cocked at just over ninety degrees.

"First off Aang, let me thank you for taking care of me. I saw the fire in the morning and my sandals and shirt were back on my back. Usually I wake up cold and tired, but this time I was good and warm from your fire. Thank you."

"You did the same for me," replied Aang, "Besides, it was the right thing to do."

"Not everyone would have done so Aang. It shows your great character and strength."

Aang looked puzzled at this. "My strength? What do you mean?"

Niko looked bemused again. "Aang, you are the Avatar. You carry a great burden on your shoulders at this time. But you are also considered to be one of the most powerful benders on the face of the planet, if not the most powerful even now. But your bending power is not where your true strength lies."

Niko went on.

"You have a gift Aang, a gift of kindness and joy. By allowing your heart to stay as pure as it has you have harnessed your inner strength more than you could realize at this time. You care for people unconditionally, expecting nothing in return for your actions. You will understand over time that this is a true gift and in times of crisis, will make you truly powerful."

Aang nodded slightly, as he was still somewhat confused at Niko's statements. Maybe one day he would understand, but as for right now, Aang only wanted to hear about Niko's answers to his questions.

"But of course, I'm sure you've heard enough praise for today. I don't want your head swelling up." They both chuckled at this, "So I guess its time I explained myself to you."

"I am, what my people call, a Style Bender. I know, it sounds a bit silly, but let me explain the principles behind it. Style Bending is not an elemental form, but rather an inherent ability that everyone has, yet very few can harness. In my family, this ability has evolved over time and become exceptionally stronger than any others within our knowledge."

Niko continued after a breath of fresh air.

"Our bodies act as natural conduits for learning new styles and techniques with the utmost speed and precision. What may take a normal man or bender a year to learn, we may be able to learn in a month. And whatever we learn, we can use at a moment's notice. But anyone can learn skills, Aang. Surely you've noticed some waterbenders who know something of firebending, or staff warriors who can throw kunai darts. But that is where the similarities end and the differences begin. If you watch closely, there is always a pause between a person switching styles. It may only be brief enough for them to change stances and switch their focus, but in that time they can lose a battle indefinitely. My family has perfected the art through skill, determination, and divine intervention. As I mentioned before, we are naturally talented in the ways of style bending, but that would not make us as good as we are on our own. We are also able to channel the spirit of another within our bodies for periods of time because of a skill we inherited from a spirit."

"My great-great-great-great grandfather Tumoka Okram was once confronted by a great band of thieves and bandits while defending his village. Though he was one of the greatest Style Benders of our family he was too greatly outnumbered and Tumoka knew this. He fought valiantly, but was struck down time and time again as he fatigued more and more. Finally, when a bandit had him cornered and was about to strike the final blow, Tumoka felt all time slow and stop as he prayed for help from anyone who would listen. A great silver light erupted all around Tumoka and momentarily blinded the bandits. When their vision cleared, Tumoka stood before them a changed man. His hair had taken to flowing, like mine, and his eyes were the deepest pools of silver you had ever seen, along with his hair. Family legend states that he was possessed by some devil or demon, but we came later to believe that it was a great battle spirit that seeked purpose for its past transgressions. Whatever it was, it endowed Tumoka with a terribly great power that allowed him to wipe out the entire bandit army and save the village. But this power came at a price…for Tumoka died at the end of the battle along with all those he had killed. Where he had not learned to control the limits of his power, he had sacrificed too much of his own life force in the process. The power escaped his dying body and transferred to his son, Shokai Okram, who went on to found the principles by which the power could be harnessed and controlled. If left unchecked, the power would destroy those who it possessed. The power is only passed down within our family within the male side, otherwise if there are no males the power will skip a generation."

"The power can only augment the abilities we already have, acting like an extra set of senses with which we can detect what is happening around us. Now, the more one came into control of the power, the more they became like the power. I have taken on one of the higher control forms of power, though not the highest, as my hair is continually silver. The highest form of control has yet to be reached, and can only be achieved as the bloodline continues to become stronger. But with greater control of the power, comes a greater desire from the power to release itself from its casing…namely, my body. You are more in control, yet more out of control. You're power becomes greater, but you must not let it go on too long or become too immersed in the spirit, otherwise you will end your own life. This is why we must constantly let out some of the power in training sessions so as to not let it overtake our bodies. The more power you release at a time, the less frequent one has to fight, but the more risky it becomes to the health of that individual at each session. What I experienced last night was an extremely large level of power escaping my body at once, and therefore my body was taxed into unconsciousness. It is both a blessing and a curse, Aang, and I would not wish it on anyone."

Over the course of the storytelling, Niko's face had become stoic, and grim. But he reverted back to his usual cheery self as the story ended. It was as if Niko chose not to dwell on the possible negatives of his gift, but to focus more on the positives he has in life already.

"So Aang, do you understand what it is I do?"

Aang nodded slowly in agreement. "I think so."

"Good, because you start training tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"But I can't inherit your power?"

"No Aang, you can't. But like I said, everyone has a certain ability to learn styles. You, being the Avatar, have an ability possibly as great as our family's inherent ability. That skill, along with your bending, will make you far superior to my skill even with my extra 'spirit control'."

"That's great! I mean…the training thing." Aang said, embarrassed at his outbreak.

Niko laughed wholeheartedly. Only Aang could be so humble with so much power.

"Come on Aang, I'll race you to the clearing and back. I have to pick up the chest we left there."

"Alright."

"3…2…1…GO!"

The two friends took off faster than they had before, but this tame a game was afoot and they planned to enjoy every minute of it.

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So that's the current chapter done. I do hope you're enjoying the story. I feel sometimes that I've left some loose ends, but hopefully I'll be able to tie them off either before the end of this series or during my next back story about Niko. Anywho, cheers all.

Neal


	11. A single moment

Yaye Running! I just got back in town from a weekend of XC Running racing for my university. Fun times indeed. I even got a sunburn from it. Ha ha ha. Sorry about not updating, but the whole travel thing left me without a computer for the time. In any case, let's see if I can pick up where I left off…

Disclaimer: Yep!

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"Rise and shining Aang!"

No movement.

"Come on Aang, get moving."

Still nothing.

Niko shook his head in amusement. "Alright Aang, but don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Niko reached around to the side table in the room, picking up a large basin of cool water. Holding it over Aang's head with outstretched arms, Niko ceremoniously poured the cool liquid contents over the bald head of his sleeping guest.

"Yeeeeeeeeeowwwwww!" Aang yelled as he woke with a start, only to have a towel and a handful of mixed fruits shoved in his face.

"Clean yourself off, and then eat some of this so we can get started, sleepyhead." Niko grinned, satisfied that his sleeping charge had now rejoined the waking world. '_Although he's probably going to wish he stayed in bed today._' Niko mused silently as he watched the young Avatar towel off his soaking head and shoulders, '_Besides, I still owe him from the way he beat me in our race yesterday._'

The previous day, Niko had challenged Aang to a race to the clearing and back in order to pick up his chest of magical sparring orbs. Niko had managed to get to the clearing first, as he knew the swamp and forest a good deal better than Aang, but had to slow momentarily in order to pick up the chest that would burden him on the way back. But his young opponent was more formidable then he had realized, and NIko would pay for it with a resounding loss. Aang had broken through the clearing and kicked up a cloud of dust around where Niko was standing, sufficiently slowing him to a walk until he was out of the clearing and into the forest again. Once out, Niko had pulled some rather brilliant acrobatic maneuvers (including one where he threw the chest high over a rocky outcropping in order to best scramble under it before catching his precious cargo on the other side) but had still come up short…if only by mere feet. Aang had managed to stay ahead the whole way home, and pestered Niko about it for the rest of the day. All Niko could do was laugh at his energetic racing partner. Aang had adapted to the situation, knowing full well that Niko was in his element in the woods, and had tipped the odds more in his favor. Aang's first lesson had been instilled, and Niko was pleased at the results.

"Do we get to start training today?" Aang mumbled between gulps of an apple he was currently devouring while still attempting to pull his left arm through his shirt.

Niko nodded in affirmation of the Avatar's statement. "We sure are Aang, but I don't think you're going to like me after you see what I have in store today."

Aang looked confused; but then the realization hit him, "Oh, you mean that whole thing about lots of hard work? I say…bring it on!"

Laughing, Niko smiled wide, "That's a good attitude to have, Aang. Meet me downstairs when you've had some time to eat and fix that shirt of yours."

Aang looked perplexed at that last statement and looked down at his shirt, only to blush with embarrassment. In his haste, Aang had put his tunic on backwards. Niko's footsteps could be heard heading towards the staircase as the hero sifted through his stash of fruits on the table in his room. He figured that he was going to need the energy if Niko was going to push him as hard as Aang thought that he would.

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"Niko?"

"Over here Aang!"

Following the sound, Aang moved toward the rear of the house. Padding softly over the black stone floors, the Avatar noticed a door was ajar and light spilled from the opening. Poking his head inside, Aang was intrigued to find Niko veritably buried in random items of unknown origins. There was everything from candles and lamps to exotic instruments of known and unknown origins. Items were piled high on shelves in the small storage room, and more simply piled on the floor around Niko's feet and lower legs. Niko was intently searching for something, Aang could tell that much. As for exactly what, the young observer knew not.

"Now what did I do with that confounded…Ah yes, Aang. So you found me did you?" Niko said as he noticed Aang without looking up from his frenetic search through the mounds of trinkets which dwelled in the room. "I'll be with you in just a moment Aang, but I have to find your first lesson in all of…this." Niko gestured at the piles of rubble he was currently standing in. "As you can see, I'm not exactly the most organized person around. Oh my dreams of being an archivist are dashed forever." Niko feigned disappointment before winking at Aang and widening his face into his trademark grin.

Aang chuckled lightly. "What is it you're looking for Niko? Can I help?"

"I…don't…think…so…ah ha! There it is." Niko announced in triumph. "I knew I had put these somewhere."

Niko stood up and held in his arms a stack of clay discs. "I had these saved for just such an occasion. I guess it helps to be a pack-rat sometimes, eh?" Niko grunted as he struggled to tip-toe his way out of the room while still balancing the stack of fragile objects in his arms. Staggering out of the room, while only dropping and breaking one of the many small objects he held, Niko motioned for Aang to follow him outside. Once there, Aang was motioned to sit down on a small stone as Niko placed the discs carefully on the ground.

"Right then. Here's the deal Aang. You already have the basics of style bending down. That is to say, you're already trained in several fighting styles. Your body is strong and flexible, and you have a keen mind. I've seen it from our little 'competitions' over the past number of days."

Aang nodded in understanding as Niko went on.

"The drills I am going to put you through are considered to be some more of the advanced drills of my style. They are meant to not so much push the body and mind separately, but to mesh them together as one entity. Furthermore, all of the drills to follow in the days to come will focus almost exclusively on your creative thinking. I will be limiting your options slowly, forcing you to think differently than you would have otherwise." Niko paused for dramatic effect, "So the final question is, Aang…are you ready?"

Aang nodded his head furiously, to the point which Niko thought it would fall off. Niko couldn't help but chuckle; this new charge of his was certainly a barrel of laughs.

"Alright then, let's get started." Niko stated. With that, he walked over to the pile of clay discs, which were at about hip height, and picked one up. Niko tossed the disk with a deft flick of his wrist at Aang, who reacted expectantly and caught it, though still looking slightly puzzled. The disk was hard, yet somehow appeared to be extremely fragile if held the wrong way. They were of a slate-gray color and were relatively crude and rough to the touch. The edges were dull and rounded.

"So…what do you want me to do?" Aang questioned his teacher.

"I want you to strike these as I throw them past you. But there is a catch. When these disks are thrown with speed, their edges become as hard and unbending as fire-nation steel. The sides, however, remain extremely fragile. You will have to avoid the edges and strike them as they pass by. I've set up a small hay stack next to the house over there," Niko pointed behind Aang, "so should you miss one they will not break and we can try again. This drill will work on your ability to time your attacks with the motion of the target you are attacking. Are you ready?"

"Yep." Said Aang as he jumped to attention, tossing the other clay disk back to the waiting hands of Niko in the process.

"Good. But there is one more thing. You're only allowed to use the right hand side of your body in the way you strike and stand. Any part of your body on the left cannot touch either the ground or the disks in any way. Your head is considered neutral, so you may do with it as you please."

Aang nodded in comprehension as Niko explained, but his eyes bugged out when he realized the last constraint Niko had placed on him. '_This is crazy. But, if it will make me a better bender, I guess I'll give it a shot._'

"Alright then, here comes the first one."

Niko whirled around on the ball of his left foot and let fly the first of the disks. It flew straight and true at the Avatar's head. Aang was balanced on his right foot and prepared himself to strike. He hopped to the left of the oncoming projectile and lashed out in an uppercut which caused the disk to explode into dust, clouding his vision slightly.

'Cough, Cough.' "You didn't say anything about these things turning to dust on me."

"No I didn't Aang, but that's part of the lesson; you need to be adaptable to any situation that arises. Now think fast." Niko stated simply as he let another disk launch from his fingertips.

Aang was still recovering from the last disk that had choked his eyes and lungs when he looked up and saw the other disk flying at about waist height. The disk was spinning slightly so Aang began to time it in his head.

'_Edge…flat…edge…flat…edge…FLAT_'

Aang lashed out with a jumping outside crescent kick after hopping with his right leg. The disk exploded upon impact with his heel and ankle, and Aang used the momentum to keep spinning and landed gracefully facing away from Niko.

"Hey Niko, did you see that…yikes!" Aang looked over his shoulder only to have to duck quickly as another disk was already mere feet away from his face. The disk whizzed past and stuck itself cleaning into the hay pile. He managed to stay on one foot…but just barely as the sudden movement caused Aang to be thrown off balance. "You could have warned me about that!"

"But then where would be the lesson?" Niko yelled back from thirty yards away. "I said you need to be adaptable, and you could have hit that one if you really wanted to. Now get your head in the game, Aang. Often the most simple solution is presented before you, but it seems to obvious for most people to notice. How do you think I managed to catch that water in my mouth when we played catch? It's because I didn't think about what was going on, I just reacted. Now, hit this one." Picking up another disk and heaving it in Aang's direction with blinding speed.

Aang took the moment to focus himself and gain his balance. A calm swept over his body when he opened his eyes. As soon as he looked up the disk was only a foot away from hitting his shins. Aang jumped off his foot and stomped down with a force that would make an earthbender proud, effectively crushing the clay disk beneath his heel. Aang looked up from where his target used to be and was about to cheer…when another disk smacked him in the side of the head and knocked him over. The disk spun off into another direction and Aang could only sit there rubbing his head.

"Ha ha ha ha. You did great Aang, up until that whole letting the disk hit you." Niko spoke loudly as he walked over to see if there were any major wounds. He knew there would be none, as he did not throw the disks hard enough for that.

Aang only groaned and rubbed his head in agreement.

"You still need some work, but see how you focused there? You took the simplest opportunity and seized it. When you were focused on the single target, how did it feel?"

Aang thought for a moment. "It felt…like that was the only thing in the world at the time. Everything else stopped moving for a second so I could focus on the main threat to me. I felt…calm?" Aang was puzzled that he would say that.

Niko let out a war woop that nearly frightened Aang. "Yes! That's it. That's the way you need to feel for style bending. This is incredible; no one had ever caught on this fast. Of course, being the Avatar and all you're not exactly considered normal." Niko went off on a rant that Sokka would be proud of. "But getting back to the point, you felt what I felt. That is exactly what I go through when I style bend…to a degree. The only difference between what I can do and what you can do is my ability to focus myself on only one task for a longer time. Well, that and my power aids me a little bit when I let it out." Niko rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, kinda like my Avatar spirit." Aang said in return, "But it's dangerous to rely on something that could hurt you and others. If my spirit dies, the Avatar chain is broken. With your spirit, you could die yourself by simply using it too much."

Niko nodded. "Exactly, Aang. You know more about this than I gave you credit for. This is good." Niko paused, "So now that you know what it feels like to be focused, what say we run this drill for another while?"

Aang nodded and launched himself up in the air with a twirl of his airbending, standing on one foot once again.

'_Always ready for anything._' Mused Niko as he ran back to the pile of clay disks.

"Alright Aang, use your left side this time." Niko called out as he simultaneously tossed another disk at Aang…this one spinning end over end like a bad throw. But it was intentional for the drill.

Aang switched his feet and struck out with a spinning forearm strike to the soft spot on the disk, knowing full well that there was probably another disk coming toward him at that very moment. As the dust cleared, a small smile crept up on Niko's and Aang's faces. The challenge was on again, and they loved every minute of it.

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Aang, breathing heavily, collapsed on the ground. Niko was already there, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. They were both exhausted again. Aang, moreso than Niko, as his brain was tired as well. He had been practicing his focus for the last few hours and was aching all over from the exhaustion. However, Aang felt great because he had managed to get his total focus time up to twenty seconds at a time now. "_Fights are often won and lost in under a minute."_ Niko had told him. Speaking of Niko, he was extremely proud. Never before had he seen such a talented young man who had yet to introduce his main abilities into the mix…bending. Niko realized that this would be the hardest part of the training, but for now, he had plans to work on the essential techniques with Aang.

'_Well, I've already broken the rule about keeping to the basics. I never expected Aang to be so adaptable in such a short time frame. Another week and he'll have all of the essential lessons learned, and then all he has to do is practice to become better at them. We'll have to spend every day working on focus to get it up to about a minute in length, and then each day will work one either body/mind relaxation, mental flexibility (more specialized than today's session), efficient body movement, and application of bending principles. If he can grasp these concepts by the end of the week, he should have no problem applying them to the outside world._'

Aang sat up after a few moments and rubbed a sore spot on his head. He had been hit there earlier by a volley of two disks that Aang reacted to and used his head to strike with. It wasn't his brightest move, but Niko said to him that learning to use all parts of the body in dire situations is a lifesaving ability, especially if other parts of the body become immobilized or useless due to damage or restraints. That being said, Aang would still prefer not to use his head again. It just hurt too much!

"So…Aang," Niko stammered between breaths, "How do you think you did?"

Aang blinked in surprise. "I don't undertand?"

"I asked you, how do you think you did?"

Aang was caught off guard with this question. Most often, teachers would tell their students how they did, and not ask their pupil's opinion on the matter. Teachers tended to act as if they knew best and could do no wrong.

"I guess I did ok?" Aang stated shyly.

Niko threw back his head in laughter. "Ok…OK…you were magnificent." Niko leapt to his feet to emphasize his point, becoming more animated with each passing word. "Do you even realize what you've accomplished today?"

Aang shook his head in answer.

"You've grasped one of the essential principles of stylebending. The ability to focus on a single moment in time until it is the only moment that exists is a skill that every martial artist in the world spends years and entire lifetimes trying to master! Do you know why it is so sought after?"

Another head shake from Aang.

Niko continued. "It is because of the profound effect it can have on the outcome of any confrontation. One who can focus with almost always beat one who is unfocused, regardless of skill. I learned this from watching a fisherman at the docks as a young boy…although I never put the pieces together for the memory to mean something until I started training years later. But anyway, the fisherman had been confronted by thugs who wanted him to pay 'protection' money to them. The fisherman would have none of it and so the thugs tried to cause trouble. Needless to say, the thugs ended up wrapped in fishing line to one of the posts on the dock. I asked the old man how he had beaten the men and what martial art did he practice. The fisherman replied that he had not practiced martial arts ever in his life, and went back to fishing. When I looked back on that scene as I began my training, the result was clear to me. The fisherman had trained himself…quite unwittingly…to focus for long periods of time. He would wait and wait and wait on the dock for hours until a fish would strike his line. It was in that moment that he would have to be completely focused, and let his hook strike the fish at the right time. So you see, Aang, even an unskilled opponent who can focus their mind on the moment at hand can best someone who is supposedly 'better' than they are. Do you understand?"

Aang nodded in agreement. "I think I get it."

"Let me put it a different way Aang. Why is it that you are virtually unstoppable in your Avatar spirit form? Is it because you gain superhuman strength and speed? Do you transform into some sort of beast? No! Most simply, you are able to draw from the accumulated knowledge of your past lives. Hundreds of years of knowledge let out in a small, condensed container. In all reality, Aang, there are probably master elemental benders somewhere in the world who can beat you at a single element. It's just a fact that there's always someone better. But what gives you the potential to be the greatest is the knowledge of the Avatar spirits. They have trained for years to focus just as you and I have not long ago. But you cannot rely on those spirits, Aang, which is why you need to train so hard."

Aang gradually understood what Niko was saying. When Aang entered his Avatar spirit phase, he was applying all of the focus accumulated by Avatars of old along with their knowledge of bending. But if he was killed in that phase, Aang would surely end the line of Avatars forever. That is why he needed to train, so he would not have to rely on the spirits to get out of potentially sticky situations.

The two sat in silence for a few moments until Aang broke the silence.

"Soooooo…what now?"

Niko grinned, "Oh, so you're ready for more punishment so soon, eh?"

Aang gulped. '_I guess the faster I train, the faster the pain will be over with…_'

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Alright everyone, sorry about the huge delay. I've had some rather intriguing happenings going on in my life right now so time has been at a minimal. I'll update as soon as I figure out what the next few days of training are going to hold for our your Avatar. If you have any suggestions, let me know please. I'm always looking for new ideas and direction of where the story should go.

Cheers,

Neal


	12. PARTwhy?

Ahoy me hearties; Yo ho, yo ho! Argh, I be feelin' in a might riteous pirate mood. Pardon my outburst, but I'm excited that I'm going as a pirate for Halloween/mardi-gras. Now I just have to locate some short pants and a silk shirt along with some other stuff. Oy, this should be fun. Also, there's something else to be celebrating. I've reached the 1000 hit mark on this story. BOOYAH! (As a certain blond haired sidekick and partner to a red haired world-saving cheerleader would say.) I really have thank everybody for keeping me going on this story and providing all the encouragement and feedback an author could ask for. If you want, you can even start throwing me some ideas of your own at my e-mail account or just in the reviews. I'll make it available soon.

Disclaimer: I think you've all got the point by now.

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Niko grinned, "Oh, so you're ready for more punishment so soon, eh?"

Aang gulped. '_I guess the faster I train, the faster the pain will be over with…_'

"I'll take that scared look on your face as a formal decline to my proposal." Niko's grin nearly split his face.

"Whew!" Aang noticeably relaxed at the phrase.

Niko wasn't finished though. "Instead, we're going to go celebrate!"

'_Celebrate?_' Aang thought. "What are we celebrating?" Queried a perplexed Avatar.

"Why Aang, you've just accomplished an amazing feat. Surely we should celebrate the occasion. Besides," Niko grinned evilly, "You're going to need all the rest time you can get today."

Aang gulped at the realization. Niko was purposefully giving him a full evening off because he was planning on pushing him to the limit. Well, Aang was not one to miss an opportunity to rest up, and jumped up quickly to his feet.

"Well then, where are we going?"

"There's a small town near here and they hold the greatest parties at night. Also, they're not loyal to the fire nation, so you won't have any trouble there."

Aang was relieved to hear that. Any time the gang had gone into a town there had always been some sort of traitor or fire-nation person to alert soldiers of their presence. It would be nice to spend an entire evening without having to worry about being attacked by those fire-nation thugs.

"So, are you coming or what?"

Aang started to attention. Niko was already walking towards the house to get changed into some more appropriate clothing. Jumping up, Aang trotted over to the house just as Niko reached the front entrance himself. Moving inside, Niko informed him that even though this town was friendly, Aang should still disguise himself a little in order to not attract too much attention. Nodding in agreement, Aang followed Niko up the stairs into his room. Niko threw open the doors to a rather large wardrobe and started moving things around. He informed Aang that they should dress casually because they were going to celebrate, and not do battle. Finally finding what he was looking for, after emptying most of the contents of the wardrobe onto the bed and floor, Niko threw some clothes at Aang and instructed him to go and get dressed.

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"Well now, aren't you looking sharp?" Niko stated as he met Aang in the hallway joining their two rooms and the staircase.

Aang had just walked out of his room feeling rather pleased with himself, if not a bit uncomfortable. He just wasn't used to wearing non-combat oriented clothing. But, he had to admit, the clothes did suit him well. Aang was garbed in a rather dashing choice of fabrics. His pants were not as loose as Niko's combat pants, but did not hold the tight cuff of Aang's airbending uniform. They were made of a resilient, yet extraordinarily soft material which Aang did not know the name of. The pants were colored a deep black with a one and a half inch silver cuff. His feet were still covered with his usual airbending shoes. Aang's shirt was the piece of the outfit he was most impressed with. It hung loosely on his small frame, but was not too large as to appear out of place. The shirt was long sleeved, and the cuffs were rolled up ever so slightly. The collar dipped in a small V to about two inches above his nipple line. It was jet black in color, with silvery/white designs wrapping from his back-right hip and running diagonally up and over his left shoulder, stopping on the top of his chest. The designs depicted a breeze blowing cherry-blossoms over the shirt. The shirt was tucked into his pants. Around his waist Aang wore a length of intricately braided rope, which was tied at his right hip. The tassels hung about mid thigh and swayed and bounced as he moved. He felt a bit like royalty in the outfit, and stood a bit taller than normal because of it.

"Thanks," Aang said appreciatively, "You've got some neat clothes on there as well."

"Thanks Aang. We've got to dress properly to celebrate, eh?" Niko said with a wink.

Niko had been waiting for Aang at the top of the stairs. He was dressed in a long robe, undershirt, pants, and sandals; along with his usual medallion, earring, and bracelet. The pants he wore were a deep blue in color. Niko's pants had no cuff, and rested on the tops of his feet so that they bunched a little. At his left thigh, a design in red thread depicted an artistic rendition of a turtle. The sandals he wore were simple enough, but looked much newer and made of richer looking materials than the ones he had worn earlier that day. A simple blue drawstring kept the pants in place. He wore no belt, sash, or rope around his waist, as his shirt covered the top two to three inches of his pants. The shirt was a simple sleeveless pullover made of a woolen type material and dyed a very light earthen color, almost khaki. The neckline on the shirt was of the same style Aang was wearing, except the V plunged less because of Niko's more muscular frame. The robe Niko wore was broad, flowing, and had longer sleeves. The robe flowed down to about Niko's knees, and the sleeves were wide like those of a monk. However, this robe was not designed to keep ones hands warm, as were those of the monks, but designed strickly for fashion. It was a silken type material that flowed incessantly no matter what small breeze there was or small movement was made. The robe was dyed the same tone as Niko's pants and the stitching around the wide cuffs and hem was red. There were no ornate designs on the robe, as there was on Aang's shirt, but it was not needed due to the richness of material. The robe hung loosely and was not tied about Niko's waist. Aang also noted that Niko had let his hair flow about his face, save for a small buckle that kept the majority of it behind his head and out of his eyes.

"So are you ready to go?" Niko said to Aang as he gestured towards the stairs.

"Yeah!" Aang nearly yelled. Catching himself, "Um, ahem, I mean, sure thing."

Niko just grinned his trademark grin and shook his head at the young Avatar. '_This is going to be a fun night for him. I'll bet he hasn't been out to a good celebration without fear for a long time._' Niko stated inwardly to himself.

Aang and Niko marched down over the stairs, grabbed a piece of fruit each on the way out of the kitchen, and marched out the door into the reddening sky. It was a warm night, so at least the two warriors didn't have to worry about getting cold on the way to the town. Following the path, the two laughed and told stories to each other about their travels and adventures, along with their best jokes. Apparently, the two had very similar senses of humor and were stumbling over the trail from laughing so hard most of the time. The trail they were on wound through the forest, cutting close to cliff faces and rivers intermittently. After about an hour of their shenanigans, and one minor pit stop for Aang to stalk a wild hare to no avail, the two arrived at the front gates of an inland town. There was a solitary guardswoman standing at the gate at the time.

"State your business…oh…it's you Niko. Sorry about that." The woman relaxed visibly and shouldered her long spear. She was garbed in a heavy padded blue tunic with white trim and matching blue pants. The padded armor looked to be built for mobility rather than utmost protection, although the footwear was slightly sturdier. The guard wore no hat, and had her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, which still fell between her shoulder blades. She carried a red-tasseled long spear of about eight-and-a-half feet in length. She herself could not have been more than five-foot-five, but from the way she stood, Aang guessed that she knew how to use the large weapon.

"That's alright, Ayana. It is good to see you again." Niko spoke as he and Aang came further into the light of the torches illuminating the front gate.

"And you as well. We haven't seen you in quite some time." Ayana then turned to face Aang directly. "So who is your handsome friend, Niko?" Aang beamed at the compliment.

"I'm Aang." Aang quipped up before Niko could even form a sentence in his conscious mind.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Aang." Ayana stuck out her hand, which Aang shook enthusiastically. "You certainly are the energetic little guy, aren't you?" A smirk lit up Ayana's face.

"He certainly is." Niko spoke up, "But, I guess that's to be expected from an airbending Avatar."

Aang stoop stock still and his face dropped. Niko had just revealed his secret to this person who could easily tell…

"Don't worry Aang, I knew all along." Ayana said to ease the young Avatar's mind. "Niko said that he was entertaining a special guest when he came into town one night to gather some medial supplies. I had a feeling, due to the gleeful look on his face," Niko grinned and rubbed the back of his neck, "that it was someone very important. Those blue tattoos just confirmed it for me."

Aang brightened up immediately.

"And don't worry Aang, this town is quite friendly. Everyone here is an enemy of the fire nation and a friend to anyone else. Tapasila is a hub for travelers in this part of the world to relax, sing, dance, and sleep without fear before going on their way again." Ayana's face grew serious then, "But do keep your wits about you young Avatar. There are the few individuals who take their celebrating a bit too far sometimes and end up picking fights with the local inhabitants. Usually the local populace or guards keep them in check, but don't be afraid to tenderize them a bit before I manage to get there." Ayana winked at Aang at this last remark.

Aang couldn't help but chuckle at the lady's demeanor. She reminded him a lot of Katara in a way. Aang made a mental note to go and hunt them down as soon as he was done training. I mean, how hard would it be to find a flying bison with a lemur, a waterbender, and a water tribe warrior as its passengers.

"Aayana, you should join us in our celebrations. We have big accomplishments to dance about tonight." Niko joined in on the conversation once again.

Ayana smiled, "You know, I think that I will Niko." Ayana placed her free hand on her hip and shifted to the side slightly to accent her hip line, "Besides, all the other boys here don't know how to dance. I need a 'real' dance partner for once." She grinned like the cat that ate the cream.

Niko smiled suavely back, "I hope you haven't gotten rusty without me Ayana. I won't be slowing down to accommodate you." He stated the last part like it was a challenge.

"Oh don't worry Niko, I can still dance circles around you blindfolded."

"It's a date then. Come find us in the main square when you change the guard."

"That shouldn't be a problem. It's not every day a silver-haired stylebender and the Avatar walk into town. I get off in an hour or two, if that blasted Gofu isn't late again!" Aayana nearly growled out the name.

"Good old Gofu." Niko shook his head as in disbelief, "We'll see you then. I'm going to show Aang around the town before the festivities get too out of hand."

"Good idea Niko. You know the way to get in."

"Ok Ayana, later." Niko said as he motioned for Aang to follow him.

"Bye Ayana." Aang waved as he trotted off behind Niko, who was heading for the large main gate. Niko stopped at the bottom left corner of the gate and pressed his last three fingers against the visibly solid door in a modified knife-hand form.

Aang was just about to ask what he was doing when Niko's hand and forearm disappeared into a hidden hole in the wall. His face was a picture of concentration for a moment, biting his tongue in the process. Then a wide grin plastered his face as an audible 'click' pierced the calm night air. Niko removed his arm as the cracks of a door frame took shape. The door swung open quite easily at his touch and the two stepped through to the town of Tapasila.

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Tapasila was a small to medium-sized town, depending on the time of year. In the winter months, when travelers became less frequent, the town was smaller in population than in the summer, spring, and fall months when traveling was much more enjoyable. Individuals from all the wide world came to Tapasila to relax, have some much needed fun, recover from the toils of their journeys, and to share stories with fellow travelers from distant lands.

The town held structures of both the permanent and temporary sort year-round, adding to the eclectic atmosphere surrounding the unusual place. Most of the permanent areas were essential shops for travelers or the homes of the small number of permanent residents living in Tapasila. There were also two or three major hostels, aside from the solitary inn, which housed most of the passers-bye. Any travelers who decided to stay for a longer period than to simply re-stock usually came with their own portable lodgings, setting up wherever they could find space while not blocking off any of the main thoroughfares. It was an unspoken rule amongst travelers to leave a place of rest as much untouched by their presence as possible once they had departed. As much as this rule applied, this did not limit traveling merchants to barter/sell their wares in the streets during the day. There were carts and wagons filled to the brim with every product one could imagine. From ancient talismans to kids toys, traditional clothing to the extremely radical fashions, anything could be found in some form or another from walking the streets of Tapasila. But that being said, the carts would only stay out during the day. This was another of the unspoken rules of the traveler's code…that work was only to be conducted during the day. Aang was about to find out why…

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"Yeow!" Aang spun off the glancing blow as another cart just barely clipped his shoulder as it whizzed by. Its owner, running ahead of the cart and dragging it along, yelled some sort of rushed apology before picking up his pace and disappearing into the cloud of dust he was creating.

"Ha ha ha! So Aang, how do like the wonder-filled world of Tapasila?" Niko couldn't hide the amusement that came with his voice as he watched dodge a small child who would have surely bowled him over with the large basket of baked goods she was carrying.

"It's…different," was all Aang could mutter as he concentrated on the task at hand. '_Niko had called this **People Dodging**. He made it sound like some sort of game. When we get to sparring we're going to play a new game called **Aang Dodging**._' Aang grinned mischievously as this thought crept into his mind.

'_I wonder what that boy's thinking about_.' Niko mused as he observed Aang's eyes haze over with the contemplation of plans and schemes. He had better watch out though or he'll, "Aang watch out!"

Aang heard the warning and snapped to his senses. There was a runaway cart headed straight for him and he didn't have time to perform one of his super-cool evasive maneuvers. Doing what instinctively came after the bit of training Niko had completed with him, Aang did the next best thing…

Niko could only shake his head in amazement as Aang dropped to the ground in a heap, lying stiff as a board as the cart passed just inches over his face. He watched Aang get up and breathe a sigh of relief as he dusted himself off, only to look up long enough to see an apologetic vendor yelling apologies his way as he took off after his cart. Luckily, the cart had crashed into a hay stack and was stuck fast so as to cause no more harm.

"Well, I can certainly see why you hang around this place Niko."

"Oh, and why would that be Aang?"

"Because you need to be a stylebender just to walk through from one end of the street to the other."

Niko laughed heartily at the young Avatar's joke. The two made their way through the crowd toward the main square, where a rather large open-walled tent-like structure was being set up and decorated.

Aang spoke as they neared the busy construction site.

"So this is where the party is?" He posed the question expectantly to Niko.

"yep, just like I said. This is what happens every night after the shops begin to close up. All of the shopkeepers, both temporary and permanent, close down the non-essential shops for the celebrations. Some nights, there might just be a play being held on the main stage," Niko pointed out a large wooden structure off to the side of the main open square, "while on other nights there could be a martial arts competition, craft making exhibition, or even a singing contest."

Niko paused for effect.

"But tonight, Aang, is something that happens about once a month, depending on the mood of the town and how many travelers have arrived. Everyone in the city pitches in to decorate the main square with all sorts of trinkets, lanterns, and just general items from their home town. The decorations get more extravagant every year as more and more decorations are accumulated by the town. Some people make a special trip once a year just to come out to one of the festivals. It's a celebration of camaraderie amongst the travelers and the local inhabitants. It started off as a way of saying thank you to the locals for their kindness, but then it just grew and grew until it became what you see today."

Aang nodded mechanically as he took in all the sights around him. The main tent was already fully set up, and most of the decorations were placed in their usual spots. Aang noted that there were a few food and drink vendors still set up around the skirts of the tent. He heard Niko say something about a party being nothing without proper food and drink, as Niko excused himself and went off to find something refreshing to drink after the walk. Aang just wandered around the open area taking in all the sights as it was being quickly transformed into something truly magical to behold. Lanterns were now being lit up and placed on top of poles, buildings, rocks, and every other sturdy object or structure that could hold one. The place was being lit up just as if it was daylight…well, a multicolored daylight. The lanterns were covered in different colored papers and cloths, so as to let them glow with different hues. Banners willing good fortune upon all hung every which-way around the square along with decorative streamers and colored flags. Aang stared wide-eyed in approval, as he felt a strong hand come down on his shoulder.

"So what do you think Aang." The voice that belonged to the hand was none other than Niko's. In his free left hand, Niko held two cups full of different colored liquids. One was completely clear in color, while the other was a deep red. He offered the red one to Aang, who accepted it before he answered.

"It's amazing." Aang grunted breathlessly as he took a sip of the drink and his eyes glazed over in mirth. "What is this stuff? This is incredible."

"It's a mixture of fruit juices from all over the world Aang. One of the traveling vendors brings it once a month specifically for the celebrations and people who won't drink this stuff." He held out his glass for effect.

To Aang, it looked as though the glass was filled with…water? "Is this some sort of special holy water or something?" Aang just couldn't wrap his head around the concept of imported water.

"Not quite, Aang. It's a strong alcoholic drink that very few can stomach, and even fewer enjoy." He paused as he downed the contents of the glass in a single deft movement. "I've developed a taste for it in small quantities over the years…but only in small quantities. I once drank too much and ended up waking up in a pigs pen completely nude the next morning with a splitting headache. That was not a fun walk back to the house." He chuckled lightly at his own story.

Aang couldn't help but laugh right along with him. He was grateful that Niko had brought him the other drink at this point, as he sure didn't like alcohol and he really didn't want to end up in any pig pen tonight.

Taking another sip from his slowly emptying glass, Aang spoke again, "So what's the plan, Niko."

"You make this sound like a mission. But, there realy isn't a plan. Once the band finishes setting up," He motioned to the stage off to the side of the tent that had been set up as they were talking, "Then the party begins and you just enjoy yourself. There will be performers present tonight, as well as many lovely ladies to dance with." Niko winked at Aang as he finished his statement.

Aang gulped, blushing just a little bit at the thought of dancing with some ladies. '_If only Katara were here._' He thought, '_Then I'd dance the night away... if Sokka didn't kill me first._'

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The two mingled with the growing crowd of people, the night completely black at this point. It seemed that everyone was waiting for the band to come out before they 'officially' began the night's festivities. Performers of all sorts were warming up and preparing their equipment. Aang noted that acrobats and tumblers, funny men who called themselves 'clowns', and risk takers such as sword-eaters and the like were among the majority of the performers this night. He still wondered how someone could swallow a blade as long as he was, and even pressed the man for his secret for a good ten minutes. He never did get the secret out of him, but the performer did let him know that there would be a special performance tonight by one of the new travelers. He said it was some sort of surprise, and didn't know any more about it then that. Aang thanked him for his information and went off to find some more interesting people to talk to.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The booming voice swept over the crowd like a lure, turning their attention to the center of the tent. He noticed a ring of buckets were laid there, along with a figure who stood in the middle. The announcer had perched himself on a chair off the side a few feet. He was a rather rotund man, with joyous features about his clothing and face. The man continued his spiel…

"Tonight, we have a special performance from a weary traveler. His person is a master manipulator of water…"

'_A water bender!_' Aang could hardly contain his excitement as he began pushing his way through the crowd to get a front row seat as to what was about to begin. He loved to watch masters of their element bend, even if it was only for show. He settled back on his haunches once he reached the front of the crowd. He still couldn't pick out who the person was, but he hoped that they would be as good as the announcer was making out to be. The man was become more and more animated as he described their skills to the crowd. Aang did notice the Niko had also pushed through the crowd, and had stepped into the circle of water to talk with the waterbender. Aang couldn't hear what he said, but he could tell from theiractions that he had said something favorable to the waterbender as he described something…or someone…to them. Niko stepped out of the ring of water as the announcer was beginning his final introductions.

"…Without further ado, I give you…Lady Misa!"

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Hey everyone. I've been playing with an idea from KazeRose about another Zuko battle. Whoever thinks Aang deserves another chance to go at it with Zuko give me a shout out and I'll see about making it a reality as part of Aang's 'graduation'. I have a special surprise for you all in the next installment. I hope that you guys can guess what it is…guessing games are so much fun! Until next time Avatar fans.

Neal


	13. Round One

Ok…so now there's another character…or is there? You'll just have to read and find out. I swear there'll be no cliff-hanger moments in this chapter…unless of course I'm feeling rather devilish. '_Grins_' But that's besides the point. First I have to write the chapter. By the time you're reading this, this installment will have been just finished. I've had one request for a Zuko rematch so far. Any more takers? I'm terribly sorry for not getting this installment out sooner, but I'll be able to more writing once this project gets submitted that I've been working on.

Disclaimer: Someone owns Avatar, but I don't. Boohoo!

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"…Lady Misa!"

The large man no sooner finished pronouncing the last few syllables of the performer's name when a mist began flooding the immediate area about the waterbender's feet. Aang watched as the mist only traveled to the edges of the ring of people, halted by the waterbender's skill no doubt. The figure was still hidden in shadow from Aang's eyes for the moment, but he could now make out the outline of the lady-bender. She had not yet moved from a simple standing position, only the rise and fall of her shoulders betraying her deep-concentration. All great benders had to control their breathing when controlling their element, and even more so when they had limited resources and space to work with. The control of the breathing was directly connected to the control of one's chi levels. Aang could see that the bender was still relaxed, even though they were obviously concentrating hard. The mist snaked out in tendrils, then receding again like waves crashing on a beach at dawn. With each rise of the bender's shoulders, the intake of breath would draw the mist in toward them, while the exhale breath would send the mist back out to the edges of the crowd. This continued for a few moments, the mist then retracting back to the source. At this point, the performance truly began.

Lady Misa swept her arms in a wide circle, both moving toward her navel until they met around an imaginary ball. Streams of water flowed from the buckets directly to her left and right, following the motion of her hands and forming a now not so imaginary ball in her hands. Misa rolled the ball as it formed, keeping the blue liquid in a tight sphere. Two buckets of water now floated between her hands…until of course the performer did something Aang had only seen performed by one person. Misa threw her hands over her head and allowed the water to elongate and form a…

'_Water whip._' Aang breathed. He couldn't believe it; there were only two possibilities now in his mind. '_Either Misa is a talented bender from…wherever that dude said she was from, or…naw...it couldn't be! Could it?_'

Aang watched as the whip shot out time and time again, each time the whip's patterns became more intricate and diverse. The whip started off by simply lashing out slowly and returning to the bender, but the dance of Lady Misa didn't stay simple for long. She made the whip float around her body like a snake, then flash out at a moment's notice. The whip would corkscrew through the air only to return to its master before touching anything…or anyone. The waterbender continued this for a while before shocking the crowd that had encircled her.

Misa let the whip lash out suddenly, coming within inches of the face of bystanders. Some only blinked in surprise, too shocked to move, while still others tripped over their own feet trying to distance themselves from the 'crazy' lady. This brought an uproar of laughter from the crowd, and Aang thought he could pick out a grin forming on the lips of Lady Misa.

'_She must be enjoying herself._'

This continued for a few minutes, with Lady Misa performing a few more tricks along the lines of juggling water, creating ice sculptures, and generally soaking people just for fun. Aang thought that she was truly magnificent. Not only was she a talented bender, but she had a wry sense of humor as well. Halting the performance cued the thunderous applause from the appreciative crowd. It was rare that they saw a bender of her skill pass through the town. Lady Misa bowed to the crowd, sweeping low toward the ground. When she straightened up she turned to the crowd, as if looking for someone. Her eyes locked on none other than Niko. She moved to him, motioning for him to bend his ear to her. He appeared to listen intently to whatever was being whispered in his ear, nodding and grinning all the while. After their brief, though unheard conversation, Niko moved around the crowd to find Aang. While he was fighting his way through the crowd, Lady Misa whispered something to the large man, who also grinned at something he said.

'_She must have some good jokes._' Aang thought.

The announcer began anew, "Ladies and gentlemen. Did you enjoy tonight's performance so far?" This commend drew cheers and whistles from the crowd.

"If that is the case, then you will surely enjoy the next treat we have in store for you!" The man paused for dramatic effect, "Because you have been such a good audience, Lady Misa has a special event in store for you. She has requested a waterbending sparring match with none other than our very own Niko!"

The crowd cheered and parted around Aang, only to reveal that Niko had managed to move his way directly behind him. He smiled and bowed graciously to the crowd who had begun to chant his name. Straightening up after a moment, he spoke up,

"Thank you, everyone! You are most gracious in your cheers. But as those of you who know me better, I couldn't bend water if I were plunged into the ocean." This elicited a cry of groans from the crowd. Niko never lost the smile that had plastered his face, "But that being said, I do have a gift for tonight's performance. A friend of mine is a talented waterbender himself, and I'm sure he would love to challenge Lady Misa to a friendly match."

Aang looked around wildly, trying to find out who this person was. He must be right next to Niko somewhere.

"He has been training with me for the last week, and shows the promise of being one of the greatest benders of his time."

Aang couldn't believe it. Niko had been training someone else other than himself. When did he get the time? And why hadn't he seen this person before? Before Aang's brain started smoking from the strain, Niko placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face the crowd. It was only then that Aang began to feel nervous about what was about to happen.

"Allow me to introduce," Niko said with a flourish of his hands, "my good friend, Aang!"

With that, Aang was grabbed by the cheering crowd and ceremoniously carried to the center of the ring of people. Aang looked back at Niko with a bewildered look on his face, but Niko just began laughing, cheering, and clapping along with the crowd. Before Aang went out of his line of sight he thought he caught a wink from Niko…but he couldn't be sure of anything since he was so shocked by the events that had just transpired. Here was the great Avatar, being hoisted on the shoulders of every man, woman, boy, and girl, and passed toward the mysterious waterbending master Lady Misa. Aang was scared, excited, tentative, and mystified to no ends. As the crowd set him down in front of Lady Misa, quite unceremoniously (he landed on his butt because he wasn't ready for the drop in altitude) he first felt the sudden urge to run.

Fortunately for him and the crowd, the performance would still go on because of what happened next. He saw a slender hand appear in front of his face. The hand was connected to a similarly slender wrist, ordained with some simple looking yet elegant bracelets. Following the flowing sleeves that enclosed the rest of a possibly slender arm, Aang's gaze swept up to Lady Misa's…smiling face! Aang nearly melted at the sight. Although her face was painted pure white with blue and red adorning her eyes and cheeks and lips, Aang only saw an absolutely beautiful lady. But her eyes! Oh her eyes were that of the bluest sapphires immersed in the cool waters of a secluded lake at midnight, with the moon illuminating the details immersed below the surface. Aang could have gotten lost in those eyes, until he realized that Lady Misa was trying to help him up. Blushing, Aang grasped her hand and was swept up quickly by the waterbender. She then turned and walked to the other side of the large circle of people that were forming. The buckets had been placed in two groups of three buckets, one group per bender. There was also one lone bucket in the center of the circle. The announcer stood up to explain the rules of engagement as the combatants 'warmed up'. That was non-existent as far as Aang was concerned, so he patiently waited for the announcer to finish.

"The rules are simple. The will be three rounds in total. Each bender has three buckets of water, one for each round. They are only permitted to use one bucket for each round. The benders will face off using this limited supply of water until a piece or all of their clothing is soaked with water. That signifies the round is over. It is recommended that the benders keep control of the water projectiles before they hit the crowd, as that will leave them rather defenseless against the other's attacks. Whoever fails to stop the projectile that was meant for them, within reason, will be dubbed the loser of that round. In the case of a tie, the lone bucket in the center of the ring will be used by both benders. Are there any questions?"

Aang wanted to ask a question just to delay the inevitable, but the cheering of the crowd and the smirk on Lady Misa's face stopped this thought process quickly and decisively. She was taunting him by causing the water in her buckets to juggle from one bucket to the other without even looking back to see them or move much more than her fingertips. Aang grinned both outside and in.

'_So she wants to play with me, eh?_' Aang mused as he dropped into an aggressive waterbending stance he had learned from watching Katara. Whenever there was a true challenge, Aang was always ready to perform to his potential. Brushing his silvery sash out of the way he motioned that he was ready with a simple nod of his head. Lady Misa nodded as well and lowered into a very similar stance. The two faced off for a moment as the announcer moved back out of the way. He picked up a small gong, hanging it from his finger.

"Benders ready? Begin!"

**_GONG!_**

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Niko could only sit back and watch as Lady Misa performed. He couldn't hide the smile on his face that perpetually existed there. She was as good as he had hoped…perhaps even better at times. Her movements were graceful, yet strong, and her eyes captured his own and those of the crowd. They were of the deepest blue sapphires and sparkled like the legerdary fountain of youth.

'_If only she were a few years older.'_ Niko mused, but shook his head to clear the thought from his mind. It was time to enjoy the show at hand…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

'_Yikes!'_

An ice disk shot over Aang's head as he struggled to keep control of his own water supply now floating between his palms. Lady Misa had unleashed an early barrage of the frozen projectiles on his position, forcing him to dance like a cat on a hot grill while making sure the projectiles would not hit the crowd. Sometimes Misa would stop the projectiles though by exploding them into mist. This Lady Misa was better than he had thought at first. She could easily be considered a true master in the eyes of any elemental bender. Although very feminine, Misa fought with a tenacity rivaling that of Prince Zuko himself. Even when she was defending, she was preparing for a counterattack at the same instant. To Aang, it was almost…frightening. No, not frightening; exciting! Exhilarating! Yes, that was the feeling he has experiencing. He felt alive again. Although Misa was pushing him to his limits, it felt comforting in some fashion. But now was not the time to reminisce, now was the time to act…and very quickly at that.

Ceasing his autopilot battling status, Aang quickly raised a shimmering barrier of the liquid element in front of him to alter the flight pattern of an ice dart. Upon exiting the shield, the dart simply fell to the ground, harmless to its intended target and the crowd beyond. Aang immediately hopped forward, lashing out with a vicious backhanded water whip spin. The whip would lash out at intermittent intervals, only to return to writhing around Aang's own body like an ethereal snake. The beauty of this move is that the water acted as both a weapon and a shield. The only problem is that there wasn't enough water to cover his entire body, so Aang had to be constantly aware of where the water was placed around his body. Lady Misa seemed to be expecting this level of attack, promptly calling the water that had soaked into the ground around her back to her hands in a mid-air spin. She too formed a water whip, and continued the duel with Aang with a renewed vigor.

Exhaling heavily, Lady Misa brought her right palm forward in a dart-hand strike to form an ice-tipped water whip projectile. The whip was formed so elegantly that it would look to the untrained eye as a blue colored rope dart weapon…and lady Misa used it as such. The ice dart flew out at Aang's chest, only to be dodged by what she recognized as a hybrid air-waterbending maneuver. She smirked to herself, '_So little Aang wants to play the evasion game, does he? Well, that's just peachy._' Misa grabbed the water rope and pulled back with her left hand sweeping across the front of her body. The dart swung around behind Aang's head, just inches from a bystander's nose, before flying back on the other said of Aang. Noticing this, Aang spun back to the other side in order to evade the attack…until he was unceremoniously swept off his feet.

"Ooof!" Was the sound that came out as the air rushed from Aang's lungs. His water for that round was now thoroughly soaking his clothing and the ground beneath him. He couldn't believe it, Lady Misa was definitely master level for sure now. She had used the water rope-dart just like a real rope dart, solidifying the water enough so that it would not break upon a solid object. The ice-dart had sped back to the waiting hands of Lady Misa, while the 'rope' had taken Aang's legs out at the ankles. Aang could only star wide-eyed at his smirking opponent. She stood there, hands on her hips and amusement in her eyes, still looking as is she hadn't even broken a sweat. Aang was broken out of his trance when he was pulled to his feet by a pair of strong arms. It was Niko…and he looked thoroughly all too pleased with the situation his student was in.

"So how was round one Aang?" Niko asked as he proceeded to help Aang dust himself off while the announcer declared the winner of round one to the crowd.

"She's amazing, Niko. She can do things that I definitely can't." Aang muttered to himself as he bent the water from his shirt, pants, and sash, depositing the water in the proper bucket as the announcer took it away. "I don't know if I can beat her."

A serious look came over Niko's face. "Aang, look at me." The young bender lifted his head and squared his shoulders to look Niko in the eye. "You can't just give up like that. Sure, she caught you off-guard with one trick. So what? I know that you've got what it takes if you just get focused enough on the moment. Remember all those training drills we've been doing. I've been pushing you harder than she has so far and you've managed to keep me at bay for the most part. So what do you say, can you do it?"

"I don't kno…."

"Stop! Right there." Aang was startled at the force in Niko's voice. "Mady Misa," Niko bowed, "May we have a moment to collect ourselves, please?" Misa only smiled and bowed in response before seating herself on a small chair placed next to her water supply. Turning, Niko stared at Aang, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Ummm, Niko?"

"Where is it Aang?"

"Huh?"

"Where is it? Where's that fire I saw when I first started training you? Where's fire I saw in your eyes just a few moments ago when you started attacking back? This isn't like you Aang, you're better than this by a long shot."

"I just don't…OW!" Aang yelped as Niko's hand found its way to the side of his head rather abruptly, causing Aang to scowl back at Niko.

"Don't is no longer in your vocabulary Aang! There's nothing you can't do if you apply the concepts. I haven't been teaching you moves, simply concepts to use." Niko's scowling gaze lifted as suddenly as it had appeared to be replaced by his usual mysterious grin. "Besides, you can't let your friend Katara know you were beaten by another female waterbender, can you?"

Aang looked perplexed for a moment, and then grinned back in response. "No, definitely not."

"Alright Aang, time to get back in the game and start using all your skills…outside of another element of course. We wouldn't want to make it too easy for you." Niko laughed as he stepped back from Aang to join in the front line of the crowd.

Aang nodded to his friend, and turned to face his opponent. Before meeting her gaze, Aang closed his eyes and envisioned the drills he had been completing over the last number of weeks. All the work he had done came rushing through his mindscape, filling his body with renewed vigor and strength. '_I **can** do this! I **will **do this! Right…NOW!_' Aang's eyes flashed open with a look so intense that Lady Misa's own eyes blinked involuntarily. She was gazing into a storm front, still powerful but uncontrolled. Regaining her composure she stood and nodded to the announcer to being the next match before sliding into another waterbending stance. Aang slipped into a far less aggressive stance this time, but his eyes told of the fury of nature in all its glory.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Round 2 is ready to begin. Fighters ready…BEGIN!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alrighty then, this turned out pretty good methinks. I finally got my muse back. It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to go with this but now I have some direction for the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy and keep firing suggestions my way. I'm looking for new moves for Aang to apply his elemental bending too and even some different training regimes. He will meet up with his friends soon, if you haven't figured that out by now, so sit tight Avatar fans. And a Zuko battle will definitely be in the mix closer to the end of the story. Until next time, cheers everyone. Watch out for my new story coming up with Ron Stoppable (no crossover, in the Kim Possible universe and section.)

Neal


	14. Round Two: A Wager

"**Let's get ready to RUMMMBLLLLEEEEE!"**

Time for Aang to get down to business with his bad self and show this upstart waterbender what a semi-focused Avatar can do. I think I'm going to try and cover the rest of the fights in this chapter so the next one I can focus on the next pivotal point in Aang's adventure.

Disclaimer: Man I wish I had those Avatar tattoos. I'd even shave my head…oh, right. I do not own or ever will own Avatar (unless the lottery comes up.)

* * *

"_Ladies and gentlemen, Round 2 is ready to begin. Fighters ready…Begin!_" 

Lady Misa made the first move in the second round, choosing to go on the offensive before her opponent could gain the momentum she was sure he would. She knew that look in his eyes all too well, and it was dangerous. Aang's gaze was what she considered the first level of danger…the level of internal focus. The fighter usually reached this level when they focused on the task at hand to a moderate level. The emotions involved in this level were semi-strong; including anger, pain, and destruction. At least she could find solace in the fact that her opponent had not reached the second or final level of focus…meaning she would surely lose no matter how hard she tried. Lady Misa was almost always at the first level of focus, including this moment, but she had not reached the second level before and could not hope to do so now. The fighters were on equal footing now, and only their skills could determine the outcome. Misa wondered if Niko had perhaps taught her opponent too well. She considered herself lucky that she knew of the levels of focus from Niko's brief tutelage.

Misa struck out with her second bucket of water following her call to action. Sweeping low into a crouch she let her leg flash out at the last second and send an arc of water low to the ground toward her opponent. It quickly formed to ice and formed sharp edges pointed toward Aang's thighs and shins. She readied another attack for a follow up should this succeed…or fail.

Aang never swayed from his stance as the ice closed on his legs, looking to inhibit his movement or at least make him move in a favourable way for his opponent. He was thinking clearly like he only had in some of his later workouts with Niko. There were several opportunities available to him now. One, he could be predictable and jump over the oncoming projectile. But without his airbending, this left him open to be hit. Two, Aang could simply throw up a wall to protect himself from the small wave, but this also left him uncertain as to what would be next thrown his way as he could not see from behind the barrier. Three, Aang could attempt to control the attack, turning the icy shin-splitter into a harmless watery glob that he could then turn back upon his opponent. This idea appealed to him the most of all, regardless of his instinct to jump. But there was a fourth option, the most unexpected of the four…

'_Yeah, that just might work._' It was risky, but Aang believed that it could succeed. Besides, Niko used unorthodox stuff all the time, so why not use it for himself?

Aang rolled into a narrow horse-stance, with his arms tucked in close to his sides. The water in his bucket began to shimmer and boil with anticipation. He waited until the last possible second for the attack to reach about four feet in front of him before acting. Aang thrust his lead right hand down and forward in a knife-hand strike aimed three feet in front of his person. His rear hand swept in a full circle from his back hip, forward to his chest, and following through to end up above and extended back behind his head, palm up. The resulting effect on the water in his bucket was rather explosive. The water rushed to the beck and call of its master to do his bidding. It flew past Aang's back and followed the path of Aang's lead arm to the ground, where it promptly froze into a wedge. But the wedge didn't end there…it grew, quickly. The water flowed back following Aang's rear hand motion over his head and stopped just above Aang's left hand. The resulting effect was truly magnificent. The wave of spikes rode up on the wedge and followed the arc above his head. It worked on the reverse principles of a slide. The spiked wave was promptly stopped at the top of the arc by a small hook of ice where Aang's rear hand was held. Aang cheered on the inside for his success, but outwardly he appeared to be just as focused as before, his eyes flashing back from his rear hand and the ice wave to his opponent.

Needless to say, Lady Misa was shocked into nearly faltering. She was impressed by that manoeuvre. Not that it was hard to do, but that she had never seen it done before. This Aang character was certainly an adaptable little fighter.

'_Time to ready another…DODGE!_'

Lady Misa couldn't believe her luck. She had only lost focus for a second and already Aang had launched a counterattack that was bearing down on her with a vengeance. To add insult to the shock of being caught off-guard, it was the same attack she had thrown at Aang just a few seconds before. Aang had immediately brought his rear hand forward in a palm strike and stepped forward with it so that his left leg was now ever so slightly leading the other. His right hand, now sitting at stomach level, had turned so it was facing palm up and the fingers were curled on a slight angle. The result of these movements could be explained as such…launch pad! Aang's right hand formed an upward lip at the beginning of the ramp, while his left hand sped Misa's attack back down the ramp, causing it to take off and fly through the air at waist height at its creator.

Lady Misa used the water in her palms to immediately raise a wall of ice to protect both her and the spectators. The two attacks shattered on impact, and threw some harmless shrapnel in Misa's face. Shielding her face with her forearms, Misa struggled to regain control of the situation. She had just been thrown off guard with her own attack…that just wouldn't do! Finally able to look up, Lady Misa noted that Aang had not charged her, as she would have thought. He simply stood in a relaxed upright stance and waited, his eyes locked on hers. Those eyes continued to burn with a fiery intensity uncharacteristic of a waterbender, but fitting to that of her opponent.

'_Time to get dangerous.' _Was the thought that passed through Misa's mindscape.

Lady Misa wound up for a direct attack on Aang and fired off a succession of three oversized ice darts. The first was quickly dispatched by Aang with his forearm, as was the second through the use of his bending to turn it back into water. But the third…made Aang's eyes widen considerably. Misa had flicked her hand as the third projectile neared, causing it to split into five shards aimed at his five appendages; head, arms, and legs. Grasping the water he had melted from the second dart, Aang launched himself backwards towards the crowd. In the process, he crouched and spread the water at his feet, forming a disk of ice. No sooner had he reached the horizontal, the darts struck the disk, causing it to shatter. The crowd gasped as the darts were about to hit them. But it was not the intent of the Avatar to allow innocent people to get hurt in the process. Sweeping his arms, Aang went into a spin in mid-air, grasping the first and second darts with his hands. Spotting his next target in slow motion, Aang used the darts as daggers to shatter two other darts. By this point, one dart had sped across his back, out of sight, and was on its way to piercing a bystander's forehead. The man closed his eyes in preparation and…felt nothing.

Opening his eyes to the sounds of the crowd collectively gasping, the man was greeted by a sharp piece of ice only a single inch away from the bridge of his nose. Following the length of the ice, he peered into the two eyes of the male combatant, Aang, who simply stood there, with his hand holding the opposite end of the ice shard. The man smiled…and promptly crossed his eyes and fainted back into the crowd. Aang had reached out at the last second and grabbed the final shard as he landed on the ground following his spinning flight through the air.

If Aang had turned around just then, he would have seen a look of sheer stupidity on Lady Misa's face. She couldn't believe her luck. She was sure that he wouldn't have dodged, for fear of allowing the bystanders to be hit. Much to her horror, he did dodge, and she thought that the attacks would hurt some of the spectators. That would have been unacceptable and she would have promptly forfeited the match regardless. But he had performed the near impossible, and stood no worse for wear in the process. She was working hard, but nothing had pierced his defences yet.

'_If the distanced assault won't work, I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way!_'

Lady Misa flicked her sleeves, tucking them into themselves about her wrists so there would be less material floating about, and walked to the centre of the circle. Aang, turning around and dropping the projectile on the ground in the process, was greeted with the sight of a smirking Misa in a combat stance. Aang blinked…and then grinned back ever so slightly.

'_Lady Misa wants to take this to close quarters? This should prove interesting._'

Aang strode to meet Lady Misa in the centre ring. Dropping into a fighting stance, he lifted his right hand, his lead hand, to meet Misa's right lead. The two hands touched back to back and the stage was set for a combative display. Tumultuous grey storm fronts met sparkling blue pearls. The air was so tense you could reach out and grasp it in your hands. The two combatants matched each other's breathing:

In

Out

In

Out

In

Drip 

Out

Drip 

In

Drip 

'_Huh?_'

Out

'_What's with the rain all of a sudden?_'

In

'_Waitaminute, we're under a tent._'

Out

'_So that means…Oh No!_'

'_**Sploosh!'**_

'_**Sputter, Sputter, gasp, sputter!**_'

'Ha ha ha ha ha!'

The crowd joined in on the infectious laughter, and applauded the tactics of the winner of this round…

Aang!

Aang had taken a page out of Katara's book, and used a little practical joke to win the match. On his way over to meet Lady Misa in their combative dance, Aang had began summoning up some of the water from Misa's side of the field. He rolled it up into a puddle, and waited until he was sure he had her undivided attention. As they were breathing, Aang had been guiding the puddle into position over Lady Misa's head, where it promptly lost shape and drenched the unsuspecting waterbender. It would have made even King Bumi proud, had he been around to see the spectacle. Aang stood and bowed to his opponent, now seated sputtering away on the ground, and smiled and waved to the crowd to appreciate his laurels.

Lady Misa sat for a moment, clearing her hair out of her eyes, before standing and stomping back to her end of the circle to await the beginning of the next round. While the announcer did his thing, she began bending the water from her clothing and depositing it in the awaiting empty bucket.

* * *

Niko chuckled and applauded Aang's tactics. He was both focused and friendly at the same time. But his smile turned to an expectant one as he looked upon the steaming Lady Misa. 

'_Aang my friend, now would be the time to draw upon some ancient knowledge. Hell hath no fury…'_

"Hey, Niko! Up here."

Niko's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a voice he knew all too well that pierced the noise of the crowd with ease…if only because Niko was expecting the owner of said voice to show up anytime now. Turning to meet the gaze of his long-time friend and guard of the gates, Ayana. Niko smiled and waved as he wove his way through the crowd. Ayana was hanging from one of the nearby lamp poles just high enough to see over the heads of the throng of people. She was perched with one arm around the pole and her feet jammed into the tiny metal bars that were used for climbing the poles in order to light the lamps. Ayana had changed out of her guard uniform and had attired herself in some much more appropriate clothing choice for the evening's festivities. She was now dressed in a dark red form-fitting top with a plunging neckline and bare back, the straps joining behind her neck and around her waist to keep the thin material in place. The shirt came down just far enough to allow two or three inches of toned, strong stomach to be seen. Her skirt rode low on her hips, and ran down to her ankles, with a long slit up either side to allow for full range of motion. (And revealing some uber-sexy legs in the process.) The skirt was a midnight black, and held enough ornate onyx stitching along the hemline and leg-slits to give it a shimmering appeal when Ayana moved. Her feet were protected by a simple set of sandals, with golden bangles around her left ankle, matching those on her right wrist. Ayana's fiery red hair was let down and held a beautiful natural wave, falling to the small of her back. Her eyes sparkled a deep gold, matching the bangles and the simple chain pendant hung 'round her neck. She was certainly a sight to behold on this night or celebrations; a red rose to Niko amongst a sea of daffodils.

"I see your boy is doing well out there." Ayana called out as Niko neared, "I only caught the last half of the match, but he certainly shows a lot of promise. 'Kinda reminds me of you when I first met you."

Standing next to Ayana, getting a good look at her legs in the process, Niko grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "I guess he does, doesn't he? Maybe that's why I've kept him around longer than the previous goofs that wanted me to train them."

* * *

"Let the third match…oh…excuse me but for a moment." The announcer ceased his final announcement of the night, save for the overall winner, and moved to meet both combatants halfway in the circle. They had both motioned for him to come over, looking expectant. The announcer merely raised an eyebrow as the signal for Lady Misa and Aang to state their mind. 

"What would you say to make this a little more interesting, Aang?" Lady Misa stood unravelling her sleeves from the previous bout.

Aang's eyebrows rose slightly, "Oh, what do you have in mind?"

"How about one final match, winner take all, in a traditional water tribe battle."

"Traditional battle? What do you mean?"

"Each of the six buckets are filled to half-capacity and placed around the ring. The rest of the water, including the seventh emergency bucket, is then used to cover the entire circle in a sheet of ice with no retaining wall. The object of the match is to use these small amounts of water to alter the structure of the floor in such a way that your opponent has a hard time standing. Only physical attacks can be used directly on your opponent to incapacitate them, but all forms of trickery are encouraged." Misa stated with a grin.

Aang pondered this for a moment. _'Ok, so what should I do? I kicked butt in the last one so I shouldn't have too much trouble with this one. Then again, I don't have much experience on ice but from the time we spent at the northern water tribe, I think I can pull it off.'_

"Unless of course you feel you're not up to it, Aangy?" Misa teased her young opponent.

That popped Aang's mind back into reality. "What, of course I can do it! You're on!"

The two grinned maniacally at each other and stalked back to their side of the field in order to begin preparing the field. While this was going on, the announcer went to fill the crowd in on the change of plans. '_Well, at least this will be more exciting.'_ He mused as he stoop on an overturned bucket and began his linguistic ministrations to work the crowd to a peak…and maybe to foster a few bets. He knew that Niko had already placed a large bet on his current student, Aang, to win the whole thing. A rather odd gentleman also placed a bet on Lady Misa to win. He had accompanied the waterbender around the city, and were obviously very close.

* * *

Niko looked down on the proceedings as he sat on top the cart with Ayana by his side. They had moved there to get a slightly better vantage point on the fight. '_This should be rather interesting._' The stylebender mused, '_Aang's never done anything like this before. We'll definitely see if he can remember his lessons once the match begins. If he doesn't, I have a feeling that Lady Misa will make quick work of my young friend. Even now she shows great skill in sliding across the ice with ease, whereas Aang is a little unstable without his airbending to aid his movement.' _Niko's brow furrowed, not to go unnoticed by his current companion. 

"What's wrong, Niko?"

"Nothing really, just that I think I have a distinct chance of loosing a good deal of money should this match go south for Aang."

"You bet that much, huh?"

"Yep."

"Damn, Niko. I haven't seen you bet in a long time. It's been over three years now. Why the sudden compulsion to go all in on a single match?"

"I want to get Aang something for when he completes all the lessons I have for him...and I might need just a little extra money to build the deck I wanted on the top floor of my home." Niko added sheepishly.

"I knew there had to be something else involved with that bet of yours. I should go right over there and tell Aang the truth…"

"And?"

"And what? There doesn't need to be an 'and'!"

"Quit the act Ayana. I saw your face light up when I mentioned the bet and I know that look on your face. Spill it!"

"Weeeelllllll…" Ayana tried to look innocent, but ended up looking like the cat who got the cream, "You could cut me in enough to pay off my debt at the tailors?"

Niko's face faulted. "Uh-uh, no way, out of the question! The last time I had to settle your debt we ended up getting chased halfway across the Northlands and I ended up literally losing the shirt off my back when the mob caught us."

"Pleaaaasssseeeeee!" Ayana rarely put on the girly-girl act, but Niko was an exception to the rule. He was too used to her tough girl routine. Looking over at him from her perch, Aayana's eyes appeared to grow three times their normal size and her bottom lip stuck out so far she could make a sick puppy look as appealing as a rock. It was just too pathetic and cute to deal with.

'_Dammit Niko, don't look at it, just ignore it. La la la la la la la la la la…awwww damn, I looked!_' The sick puppy dog face was Niko's one weakness regarding the opposite sex. He just couldn't help himself as almost all his resistance was burnt to ash and blown into the wind. "Alright, alright, just put it away Aya!" Ayana squealed at getting her way. Whenever Niko used her nickname it was either to get what he wanted, or to submit to what she wanted, no exceptions. "Ok, I'll settle your debt for you, but on two conditions."

Ayana nodded for Niko to continue.

"Condition one, you're going with me to the tailors and having a bag of clothes and food ready outside the shop in case we have to make a hasty getaway again. Alright?"

"Wellllll…"

"Aya!"

"Ok, ok, fine." Ayana mock pouted.

"Condition two," Niko grinned, "You have to clean my house next time you're over."

"WHAT! No way. Uh uh! I know how filthy that place gets sometimes. There's no way…"

"Fine, I'll have your bag ready for you when the collectors come from the tailors."

"Alright Niko, sheeesh. Looks like I don't have much of a choice now do I?" Ayana paused for a moment to look out on the crowd as Niko smirked at his success, "You and your 'no stylebending on innocent people' rule."

"Ha ha ha ha. Too bad, so sad Aya!" Niko hummed a sad song until Ayana reached over and poked him in the ribs.

"Come on 'Mister Conductor', quiet down and watch your boy's next round. It looks like they're just about to start."

Looking up from rubbing his ribs in time to see the announcer get down from his perch and ready himself to begin the fight.

'_Alright Aang, time to make your move._'

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the final round has been prepared and the fighters are taking their positions. Fighters ready…Begin!" 

Aang and Lady Misa pushed off from their perches on either side of the field. The field had been rendered a perfectly smooth sheet of ice with no rim around the edge for maximum treacherousness to both combatants. Lady Misa had rolled her sleeves around her wrists again, and Aang had tucked the rope-sash into itself around the rear of his waistband so as to not get in the way. Lady Misa's skirt law still about her legs as she crouched in an athletic stance, arms out slightly at the sides with palms facing forwards to give her more balance. Aang took a vastly different stance, and looked like a sprinter coming out of the box. When they spring off, Lady Misa was graceful as usual and slid across the ice in a more stable waterbending stance towards her target. Aang pushed off…and ended up on his face sliding across the ice.

'_Awwwww man. Why does ice have to be so slippery? If Sokka were here he'd think up something I could use._'

Aang pushed up with his arms to stumble to his feet only to find himself face to face with an oncoming minefield of ice. Lady Misa had continued her slow glide over the ice and was sending ripples and twists in the ice to throw her opponent off balance. It looked like a great ocean heaving and frothing…only if you wiped out in this one you might end up with a few more bruises. Aang scrambled like a crab on all fours as he attempted to stay on the ice pan as it tried to push him off. Up over one rise on his hands and then down into a recess on his butt the next instant. It wasn't graceful, but it was working for the time being. But Aang was running out of time; he needed to get his balance back, fast! Lady Misa was closing in on his position slowly but surely, and would be upon him in moments and he would be defenceless.

'_Come on come on get up get up get up._' Were the words rapidly firing in Aang's head as things got more and more tricky as Misa approached. She was sending blades of ice over the surfaces now along with the swells. Aang fell on his butt only to have a spike rise up where his crotch would have been just moments before. This shocked Aang into action, and the bending on the part of the Avatar began. Pushing the ice around, Aang felt two posts rise up underneath his hands and help him to his feet. Once there, Aang tried to remain as still as he could. Unfortunately, Lady Misa would have none of that and sent faster ripples his way. She was only a few feet away now and looked like a tigress ready to pounce on her prey. Misa swept her hands above her head and caused herself to rise up on the crest of a swell, and slid down the other side headed for the occupied Aang.

Aang looked up in time to watch as lady Misa's first drove hard into his abdomen. He was sent reeling back over the ice towards the edges of the crowd and to failure.

'_This can't happen now. Come on waterbending, don't fail me now…'_

Aang pushed the froxen liquid back under his feet to create a half-pipe on ice which he rode up on. Higher and higher he rode until he barely balanced on a thin edge ten feet in the air. He could probably reach up and touch one of the sagging portions of the tent now, but that's besides the point. Regaining his balance through much flailing of arms, Aang dispelled the arced wall behind him as he slid down to meet his opponent again in combat. As he reached the flat portion, weaving around the now stable bumps and ripples in the ice, he cocked back a heel strike to send into Misa's chest as payback.

'_Crap! He actually pulled it off. And here he comes. Time to anchor in!'_

Ice began to form on lady Misa's feet, and worked its way up her legs at a rapid pace. In an instant it covered her entire body. Even her arms were crossed in an x-block in front of her person and covered in ice. She stood a gleaming monolith of wintry fury as the torchlight flickered off her crystalline form. She watched as her opponents eyes widened to cover over half his face, with the other half covered by his gaping mouth.

'_It looks like he realizes too that he's too light to hit me. He he he, Misa you are a geniou…s? Where'd he go now?'_

Aang had acted on instinct just like he did earlier that evening and fell on his backside, or at least that's the way he would tell it later. In all reality, he slipped on a ripple from his lapse in concentration and ended up sliding on his back right through the small gap in Lady Misa's frozen form, her legs. Looking back as he slid across the ice Aang noted that sometimes being small has its advantages. Skidding to a halt due to some converting of ice into snow in two small strips, Aang pushed off two hastily created handholds to slide skeleton style (head first) towards his opponent. He created an ongoing channel in the ice to direct where he wanted to go, and formed rises and falls strategically to pick up speed.

Lady Misa was in the process of hastily shrinking her icy prison so as to be able to look around and more when she saw a black blur flash past her face. Looking harder, she saw it flash again, and again, and again. Once she could more her upper body totally she surveyed her situation. Aang had raised a set up icy walls around her person in the shape of a clear bowl as he flashed faster and faster on his stomach around the upper ring in a depression. She was completely encircled and had nowhere to go. Focusing for a moment, Lady Misa caught Aang's eyes with her own as he sped past…

'_Oh for the love of all that it good and just…'_

Lady Misa had looked into the grey storm again. But this time it was different. It still ad the fury of before, but looked controlled now. Aang had tapped into the second level of focus for a brief instant when he needed to stop and was now focusing all of his emotions into his fighting style…not just the weak ones. Love, kindness, and friendship are among the strongest of feelings and emotions. When the stronger emotions take hold the individual influenced by them can perform potentially astronomical feats pushing the limits of human endurance. Every muscle is used to near capacity as adrenaline floods the pathways, allowing for quicker reflexes, stronger strikes, and slightly stronger instincts. All around, the fighter was simply stronger in every aspect save one…to only be released with the third stage of focus. Misa knew that she was in for the fight of her life.

Misa dodged a projectile coming from Aang's flickering form. He was scooping up small amounts of ice and snow as he sped about the bowl and chose to haphazardly hurl them at Misa in hope of a hit. Striking out to put an end to his momentum, Misa jumped into the air as high as she could muster and jammed both heels into the icy ground upon landing. The resulting shockwave caused the ice-bowl to shatter, leaving Aang to lose all momentum and slide on his feet for a bit until he slowed to a stop. Standing tall, the two titans of aqua-based attacks were at a standstill. They stared at each other, realizing that they had reached a point where neither one could gain the upper hand over the other in straight bending technique. They were both masters of the style and could do no more than match the other's techniques. They would have to get more…intimate with each other and get back to basics just as the match had intended. Bending about half of the inner circle into hard-packed snow, Lady Misa and Aang faced each other down…waiting for something to trigger their attention.

'_**Just fight already!'**_

The call of an impatient bystander signalled the beginning of the next round…

* * *

"Niko!" 

"What? They were at a standstill. I just helped them move it along." Niko defended himself.

"It was still rude of you. I mean how…mmmfffflllll!?!"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Look at them go."

Niko released his hold over Aayana's mouth and the two watched as two incredible combatants were about to collide in an all or nothing test of martial skill in its purest form.

* * *

Alright, so I lied at the top. I just got into the writing and lost track of the length. I'm trying to keep them at least a sensible length and size for reading purposes. I hope you enjoy, and we'll be back soon with the final round and some much needed R&R. 

Cheers all,

Neal


	15. Round Three: Shocking Moments

Booyah, again! Alrighty then. Much thanks to everyone who have been loyal followers thus far and I have a proposition for TTAvatarFan. You have been a constant support for me in the writing of this story…and for that I am grateful. I would like to make you a character in the story you have supported. Give me a shout and let me know what you think and your answer. For the rest of you…enjoy the rest of the show. Ha ha ha. I hope you enjoy this chapter of my ongoing story.

Of course I own nothing. Heck…I don't even own a vehicle yet! Oh well, bus pass it is again.

* * *

Niko released his hold over Aayana's mouth and the two watched as two incredible combatants were about to collide in an all or nothing test of martial skill in its purest form.

To the crowd, the third round had yet to end, but to our combatants and trained spectators, the fourth and final round had begun anew. The combatants had decided for themselves that the last match was a draw, and a new match would be held to decide the winner…and loser…and neither was willing to be the latter. They both tired as the match went on longer than expected, but refused to back down. They were the titans of their territory, the masters of the style, and nothing short of absolute defeat would end their mortal struggle. And so the dervish went round and round again…

Aang went on the offensive as he saw a muscle twitch in Misa's neck. Dashing forward, he lashed out with a flying drop kick, which was all too easily ducked under by Misa. Landing, Aang crouched low to avoid a spinning knifehand from his opponent and went to work attacking her legs with his fists and fingers. There are points of nerves all over the body that when struck can cause great amounts of pain, regardless of significant pressure being used. Aang knew this and chose to employ fast, straightforward strikes in an attempt to put his opponent at a disadvantage. He was crouched still and moved forward and shifting steps, almost simian in nature.

'_Come on Misa, dance girl, dance!' _Misa whispered to her own mindscape. She was nimble of foot, but she wasn't an acrobat by any stretch of the term. Luckily she did have the female centre of gravity on her side and used it to her full advantage in evading the low and fast strikes of Aang. First her front leg rose to step over a straight fist, her leg extending in front of her in an attempt to throw off her opponents charge…to no avail. She quickly had to retract that leg for fear of having it trapped in her opponent's grasp and beaten into immobilization. Front, back, hop, slide, brace, kick, jump, Lady Misa continued her dangerous dance with no time to contemplate the use of her hands to counterattack.

'_She can really move._' Aang noted to himself as he missed another plum-blossom fist strike to Misa's rear calf muscle while parrying a stomp from her front heel passing mere inches from his ear. He felt like a monkey tumbling on the ground like he was, but it was turning out to be effective at keeping his opponent from launching an effective counter-attack. Aang swung out hard, extending his body a few inches further than needed to make sure the next strike landed. He was aiming to take out the front knee while performing a spinning backpedal. The edge of his hand struck hard, and Aang briefly smiled, before a foot came down in his face and sent him tumbling backwards into the snow…butt high in the air for all to see.

'_Yessssss!__But dang that smarts._' Misa cheered and scolded herself as she rubbed her knee furiously to ease some of the pain shooting through it. Aang's shot had landed, but he had extended himself too far and had no leverage with which to evade a counter assault. The kick was really just a push back, but at least it put some distance between her feet and Aang's nimble hands. Because of his size, Aang could stay low and out of range of any upper body attacks on behalf of Lady Misa, which was to her disadvantage at the moment. She needed to make him 'stand and deliver' in order to gain the upper hand. Watching Aang sit up and rub his face to rid himself of the footprint as the crowd cheered in her name, Lady Misa formulated a set of plans that just might work…but she had to act fast.

"Gnnnnnnnnnnn!" Aang groaned as he sat in the cold snow in an attempt to rid his face of the icy-numbing pain. The kick made him slide back most of the way with his face in the ground…the cold, rough ground. '_If Sokka of Kitara saw this, they'd be laughing right now._' The thought ran through Aang's head light a freight train. He really wanted to see them again soon, even if he had to go back and train with Niko. But no time for that now, because as Aang squinted the water from his eyes he spied Lady Misa bearing down on him at a rapid pace. (Quite a surprising pace for someone in a dress, actually.) Performing a rolling back handstand into a tuck to regain his footing, Aang had enough time to square himself before blocking Misa's martial attack on his forearms. She had a surprising amount of strength for a lady, and actually managed to set Aang off-balance a bit before he dropped his weight and regained control. '_Whew, almost lost the match right then and there. Gotta focus Aang, come on!'_

'_Oh Platypusbears, I thought I had this thing wrapped up._' Misa thought as she felt Aang stabilize and the pressure increase on her own forearm. She quickly pulled back and released the weight on Aang's arm, causing a cascade effect on the young opponent. He shifted forward with his arm, a little too far than he should have, and left his chest and neck open for strikes. Misa stepped forward with her rear foot, bringing it flush with her lead, and performed a double palm heel strike to Aang's solar plexus, klocking his breath out momentarily. Looking to capitalize further, Misa began a dance of her own. Sweeping her right leg forward, Misa clipped Aang's shin, causing him to pull that leg back as he fought back a slapping strike from Misa's left palm. He lashed out with a finger jab of his own, only to have to spin to the left at the last second in order to not have his lead leg clipped by a low front snap kick by Misa. Coming around full circle, Aang threw out and elbow to Misa's side ribs, only to be blocked by her own dropped shoulder and forearm. He raised a palm to where his blindspot was to protect from Misa's over the back of the head food strike. She had piked forward and tried to strike the top of Aang's shiny head. Grabbing the foot Aang stood up…fast! Lady Misa was forced to spin further and brought her balance leg down in an axe kick to her opponent's shoulder. Her bony spike of destruction never connected, as Aang instantly released Misa's foot and stepped back as the heel struck the snowy ground, sending up a short plume of icy flakes. Aang tried one more assault, stepping forward with what could be described as a diving double foot plank. (He jumped and flattened himself out in the air with legs bent, only to release them as he landed on his back in the snow in order to attempt to take out the legs of the opponent. A flop on the ground.) But Lady Misa was again too quick, and extricated herself from the situation with a quick half-spin and hop back. Aang struggled to an all-fours position, breathing hard.

'Gasp, heave!' The warriors stared at each other, one set of eyes never leaving the matching gaze across the plane of white. They were both exhausted from their exchanges over the last three rounds. It is the warrior's way to never show weakness…for as long as possible. Always looking fresh and strong is the way to demoralize the opponent. These two, however, didn't care at the moment. They had been putting their all into this conflict since the first signal and had nearly exhausted their energy supplies. Had this been a simple sparring session, the two would have called it off and simply rested. But this was a matter of pride, and a matter of testing their limits. Aang and Misa were running almost exclusively on willpower at present.

'_I've got to finish this, and quickly.'_ Misa mused as she sucked in as much air as possible through her dainty mouth and nose. '_I'm tired beyond all reason here. It really shouldn't be this hard, but Aang here seems to have received some special training from Niko. If I had fought him in another two or three weeks…'_ Misa never finished that thought. She knew that she would have been soundly beaten by Aang should he have more training. She was lucky that he was only trained by Niko as much as he was. '_Well, at least I never had to fight Niko himself. That would have ended badly.'_ Misa looked up at her kneeling opponent and mustered a half-smirk. '_Well, at least he's at least as tired as I am. Maybe I can outlast him…No. That won't work. We're both in this to win. I'll have to trick him into something…'_ And Misa began her plotting to overthrow the unbreakable barrier that was Aang's spirit.

'_Snap! She's not giving up yet either.'_ Aang thought as his head lifted up to gaze into the soul of his beautiful, yet terrible, opponent. He could tell that she was near exhaustion, just as he was. Her shoulders and chest heaved with each breath she took in. Aang's own lungs were straining against the confines of his ribcage, seeking release and the room to bring more air into the Avatar's body. His heart pounded in his chest, sounding like the drums of war in his ears. He was working to the point of non-mobility. "_I might have enough in me to last another minute or two, but that's it. After that, I won't be able to defend myself. But at least I lasted this long. I'll have to thank Niko for the drills he put me through.'_ Aang turned his head to look into the crowd. Just above the heads of everyone else, he could see Niko's silvery hair and green eyes bearing down on the match.

* * *

"Come on Aang, get up." Niko grunted out so only Aayna and himself could hear. He was proud at how far Aang had come up to this point. He had hauled out every trick he knew within the waterbending repertoire, and then some. Misa had proven to be even more resilient and ferocious than Niko would have given her credit for. She was a true warrior now…but had only now had the chance to shine. '_I'd hate to get on her bad side._'

"Go Misa!" Aayana yelled out, only to have it mix with the cheering of the crowd. She was so pumped now. This beautiful young woman was holding her own against the Avatar, of all people. Granted, the Avatar is only young, but Aang was still the Avatar, and naturally talented in all things bending. Niko gave her a quizzical look. "What? You cheer for Aang, I'll cheer for Lady Misa. Us girls have got to stick together you know?"

Niko only shook his head and smacked his forehead with his palm. Ayana always did like to go for the opposing team as he did. Niko knew it was only to get him riled up, but it was still aggravating from time to time. Niko was rooting for Aang to win due to his bet, but right now he would be proud beyond measure if Aang simply fought to a draw or even lost. He had reached Niko's expectations and then some, and Niko could ask for no more from the young Avatar.

'_You really are a piece of work, Aang. I just hope you can last a little longer…if only for the sake of my pocketbook.'_ Niko grinned at the thought of a fat purse.

"Hey Niko, why are they fighting so hard?"

"What do you mean Aya? We used to do the same thing all the time when we first met."

"Yeah, but they're two strangers. We had something to prove to each other as friends. Strangers in for friendly competition don't usually push this hard, unless in true battle. They remind me of true friends, you know?"

"Yeah, you're right Aya. I guess it's just the only way they know how to fight?"

"Maybe…but I don't know." Ayana now motioned for Niko to crouch down so he could get on his shoulders to see the fight more clearly. She never caught the grin that Niko had on his face as he straightened to watch the end of the final match up.

* * *

An old man watched the fight from a higher building across the open area. He was seated, sharing his meal with his pet. It sat on his shoulder, but was shrouded in darkness. The glint in the ancient one's eyes told of youthfulness uncommon to that of a man his age. They were eating a mountain of roast pork with a beef side dish…

* * *

Aang struggled to his feet, standing shakily with his shoulders slumped forward. His arms hung limply in front of him. The air had gone cold in the arena, and Aang's breath was now showing up in the air as wisps of his soul escaping the confines of his body. The sweat on his brow was beginning to harden into salty ice droplets, glistening like diamonds in the torchlight. Misa fared no better, as her breath too was now visible, and the ends of her now unkempt hair were solidifying. Steam rose off each person's shoulders like a great machine-beast of the fire nation. Unfortunately for these machines, their fuel was running out…fast!

"Come on…Aang…what are you…waiting for?" Misa spat out in-between breaths. "Surely you're not…going easy because…I'm a girl…eh?"

Aang coughed, it's all he could do when he tried to laugh. "Nah…I don't…believe in doing that…you're just as tough as one…of my other friends. Besides…she'd hurt me…if I went easy…on a girl."

"Sounds like…she's a smart girl…"

"She is…and next time I…see her…I'll tell her about…the way I won this…match." Aang put on a Cheshire grin…as best he could in this state.

Misa chuckled/coughed, "We'll see…about that…Aangy!" Misa yelled out the last set of words and let loose with all her fury. She willed the ice to surround her hands and feet in the form of gauntlets and shin-guards. Lunging at Aang with a side snap-kick, she was met with a similar set of gauntlets and guards Aang had conjured up. She gritted her teeth at the jarring sensation the hardened ice sent through her body, spinning around to send an icy-backfist to her opponent. The move was blocked with a backfist of Aang's own. Shards of ice chipped off and flew into the faces of the combatants. Aang's steel-grey eyes met the icy-blue of Misa's. Driving forward, Misa droke an icy-spiked elbow to Aang's face, causing him to duck briefly, only to drive up with a short uppercut to his opponent's midsection. Misa felt the wind get knocked out of her, but used the momentum to her advantage. She shifted her body just so the uppercut hit off-centre and spun sideways through the air because of it. As she spun through the air, Misa let loose with her planned arrault.

Aang grinned in victory as he felt the uppercut impact with his opponent's midsection. He glanced up to see Misa spinning through the air.

'_All right…time to finish this…wha?'_

Just as Aang prepared to drive in with a finishing blow, he was met with a terrifying sight. Misa's eyes met his for a moment…

'_She does not look amused. Oh man!'_

A barrage of icy tentacles lashed out at Aang from all directions. Misa had chosen to summon as much water as she could to her disposal, including some underneath her twirling form. It was, in essence, ten water whips lashing out at the same time to ten different points on Aang's body. Both knees and feet, elbows and hands, his head and his body. With his focus broken Aang could only stare as Misa landed and proceeded to send whip after whip in his direction. The first connected with his chest, forcing Aang back, reeling on his heels. The next tore apart the coverings on his left arm, spinning him around like a top. Two more lashed out and shattered his right and left leg wrappings. Falling to his knees, Aang watched as three whips tore towards his exposed shoulders and head. Drawing on what little strength he had left, Aang raised his right arm and spread the water out like a shield before him…only to have it implode due to the sheer force of the attack and send him skittering backwards on his back across the frozen ground like a ragdoll.

'_I'm sorry Niko…I just…can't do it.'_ Aang thought. But as he began to black out, a thought came to him.

'_Sokka, Momo, Appa, I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough. Katara…'_ Aang's mind dwelt upon her image; her smile, her eyes, her comforting voice that always brought him back to the moment. He heard her say, _"Aang, I believe in you. You've trained hard, and we need you. We're all counting on you Aang to save us all! Believe in yourself Aang."_

That brought a smile to the Avatar's face. '_Thank you Katara, but I don't know if I can go on like this.' _Another face interrupted his thoughts though. It was one that had haunted his dreams for a while now. _"Come on Avatar, give up, you're not strong enough to save them. I'll hunt them down and hurt them all just to get to you. And then I'll beat you just like you're beaten here. You're weak Avatar. So very weak!"_

'_No, Zuko, you can't, please!' _The face only laughed maniacally and grinned at the Avatar. The sound Aang heard next was that of Katara's scream in his mind.

'_NOOOOOO! KATARA! I WON'T GIVE UP NOW. I CAN'T GIVE UP NOW. I WILL…_'

"Win…" The whisper no sooner left Aang's lips in the real world when his eyes shot open. The sight he was met with was that of the roof of the tent. He had only blacked out for a split second as he hit the ground. Misa was still ready with the whips she had created and the crowd was…gone? Aang couldn't see the crowd, or anyone else for that matter. There was just Misa and himself under the tent, with nothing else outside the tent itself. It's like, nothing existed. There was a void outside their combat grounds. And Aang felt…calm? It was a calm like he never felt before…and it felt blissful. There were no emotions clouding his judgement, nor were there any distractions. It was the moment, and that's all that mattered, like a dream world. Aang drove his palms into the ground on instinct, causing the ice to ripple and shoot him to his feet. He stood there, in such a casual stance you would think he was simply dead on his feet. It just felt right at the time. This was because Aang had entered…

* * *

"THE THIRD STAGE!" Niko nearly shouted. He couldn't believe it, Aang had actually tapped into the third stage of focus without even training to do so. It was unheard of! Even talented benders of years past had trouble entering this stage. It's what the legendary warriors referred to as 'Living the Moment'. In this stage, all emotions ceased to exist…because they were all being employed at the same time. The combatant in the third stage felt no remorse, pity, love, hate, or even joy when fighting. Pain simply did not exist, as it was simply a matter of the mind. When in this stage, the body became a complete servant of the mind. All limits on the body's endurance were lifted at the cost of injuries. Although the mind may not know limits in this focused state, the body still had its limits. Niko rarely entered this state unless he or another was in danger of being exterminated. It was dangerous to the user and the opponent, as the combatant saw and used all possible movements, lethal and non lethal. The only true weakness for those untrained was that should the body simply run out of energy, the mind would be weakened to the point that a strong stimulus would snap the fighter out of the state, saving their body from further damage.

"I have to warn Misa. Stay here Ayana." With that, Niko launched from his perch and barrelled through the crowd.

* * *

"Oh no!" Was all Misa could say. She knew the signs of the first two stages of focus from Niko, and this looked nothing like them. She had to assume that…

"MISA! HE'S ENTERED THE THIRD! SHOW YOUR FACE, NOW!" Niko screamed as he broke through the crowd.

"What? Niko? Are you sure that…"

"JUST DO IT BEFORE HE GOES TO FAR! HURRY!"

Misa nodded, turning to look back at her opponent. This terrifying version of Aang had begun a slow walk towards her…his eyes not once leaving her face. Misa almost got lost in those eyes. The pools of grey were hypnotic; beautiful and terrible all the same. There was nothing in those eyes. Shaking herself free of their influence Misa went to work. Forming a large sphere of water over her head, she took a breath and held it as the water submersed her. It swirled and boiled and bubbled inside.

'_Dammit, why is this makeup so hard to remove? Stupid sweatproof mixture. Ow! That stings. Alright is should be good…gnah!'_

Aang had gotten too close, and struck out with brutal efficiency. Striking her left knee with an instep kick fused with ice was the first blow. The second was a knifehand strike to her right shoulder, effectively tearing the muscles. Misa spun due to the force of the impact. The water was falling off her face as her concentration broke. Aang's hand cocked back to his ear as he formed a spike of ice in it. He watched his opponent spin until he had a clear shot at her chest.

Time slowed to a halt! Taking one final look into the face of his opponent he noticed something was different about her. No longer was there the white face of a warrior and threat. In its place held a face of much greater significance. Her eyes showed great pain, and while her cheeks were still streaked with the white dye of the makeup, the tanned complexion of one he knew so well flashed into his mind, staying his hand. Aang's eyes widened in shock at the face he thought he would not see for a long time to come as he let his arm drop limp to his side.

"Katara?" Aang managed to mutter, before his eyes rolled back and the fatigue took him to dream land, where he dreamed of his lost friend, now found.

* * *

"Dammit Aang, you are one troublesome student." Niko almost laughed at the situation he had gotten himself in. He had Katara cradling her shoulder while kneeling by Aang's other side. She was fine for the most part, but the shoulder would take some time to heal.

"Will he be okay?" Katara pleaded with those blue orbs of hers.

Niko finished his check and breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, he'll be just fine. The shock of seeing your face really knocked him out of it. Nice work, Katara." She smiled lightly, "But for now, I want you to go with Ayana and get some rest. You need it…badly!" He noticed her reluctance to leave, "I know you want to stay, but Aang needs to rest as well. Trust me, as soon as he's better, you'll be the first to see him. I don't think I could tie enough horses to him that could keep him away now that he knows where you are. Ha ha ha." Niko chuckled and smiled that carefree smile to ease the young girl's fears.

Katara nodded in recognition as she stood with Ayana as her crutch. "Thank you Niko. See you soon. And see you later Aang."

As the two beautiful women left, the old man and his pet hobbled up to meet the two.

"All right you old fart," The man seemed peeved by the comment, "Let's get this deadweight back to my place for some rest. And to make the trip worth it, I'll even throw in some of my famous meat cakes."

The man grunted in acknowledgement as they picked up the limp form of Aang, placed him on a stretcher, and began the long walk to Niko's abode.

* * *

So how does that appease the fans? I have some more torture for Aang in store, and don't even consider that the story is over. I plan on having at least double the amount of chapters by the time I'm done. I will definitely have another Aang/Zuko battle and maybe some Aang/OC battles as well. The Avatar gang won't know what hit them once I'm through. Ha ha ha.

Cheers,

Neal


	16. Recovery Intermezzi 1: Sokka and Niko

Hey guys, no comments to make here, just enjoy the show!

* * *

"Just a little bit more….STOP! That's perfect, set him down here."

Niko and the old man set a comatose Aang down on his bed back at Niko's home. The two had walked for the better part of the night to get Aang back to the house, and it was now nearing the early hours of the next day. Niko looked spry and ready for action, despite a small yawn that escaped his lips; while the old man looked as though he was ready to curl up on the floor that very moment.

'_Grrrrrrrmmmbbblllllleeeee!'_

The sound of the old man's stomach startled Niko so much that all he could do was hold his sides and laugh. Straightening after a moment and opening his eyes, Niko noted that the old man was staring him down like a starved wolf. Luckily, Niko took the hint.

"All right you…get on down to the kitchen. There's meat cakes in the cellar and some wines in the pantry. Knock yourself…out!" Before Niko could finish his entire phrase, the old man had scrambled off after his miniature pet, who apparently wished to beat its master to the food. Niko just pinched the bridge of his nose and plopped himself down in one of the ornate chairs in the fire-y-themed room.

"Aang," Niko said to no one in particular, turning his head to catch Aang's still form out of the corner of his eye, "You sure are full of surprises. Here I am, probably seven or 8 years your senior with a rare ability, and you come along and figure out how to do instinctively within weeks what it took me years to accomplish. Maybe you do have a chance at saving the world…"

Niko trailed off as he heard some muffled yelling and the sound of breaking earthenware. It sounded like a group of badgermoles were in his kitchen having a party of their own.

'_That old man is going to pay for those dishes this time._' Niko grumbled in his mind as he opened up the closet of Aang's room. Reaching inside and opening another panel, Niko pulled out a rather simple looking bamboo box with a set of simple kanji on the top stating the contents. The kanji read 'Injury Kit'. Closing the closet door with his foot, Niko proceeded to kick a chair from the main table to the bedside lamp table where Aang lay. Opening Aang's shirt, Niko checked the young warrior over to make sure there were no visible cuts and bruises that went unattended. He found a few minor cuts and bruises around Aang's ribs, stomach, and left shoulder, which were quickly cleaned and bandaged. Rolling up Aang's pant-legs and removing his shoes, Niko checked the bones in his legs and feet, cleaning up two or three cuts and rubbing bruise reducing salve on the others. Rolling the pants back down, and covering Aang up with a crimson quilt folded at the foot of the bed, Niko placed the first-aid kit back in the closet and moved the chair back to the main table. Snuffing the light, he exited the room where the Avatar lay gathering his strength, closing the door behind him.

Moving down the hall, past the stairs, Niko took a sharp turn to the left, swinging off the door frame as he went. '_Back to room sweet room._' Spinning on his right heel and tapping the door closed with his foot, Niko proceeded to kick off his shoes. An audible sigh left his lips as his worn feet touched the cool black stone surface of his floor. It just felt right to go barefoot, even though he wasn't an earthbender. Flexing his toes, Niko moved to shedding his blue cloak and khaki shirt, tossing the shirt into the corner and hanging his cloak up in the closet. Stretching his arms over his head, Niko popped a few different joints back into place before moving into a tai chi stance and performing some basic belly breathing techniques, allowing his chakra and ki to flow throughout his body. This nightly ritual (when he wasn't trying to take his energy out on the training orbs that is) helped Niko to calm himself after a stressful or particularly eventful day. Stopping after a good ten minutes, Niko made his way out to the hall and down the stairs to check on his 'guest'.

'_That old fart had better not eaten me out of house and home again, or I'll use him next time I need to vent!_'

Niko inwardly smirked at the thought of the 'old man' running around like a chicken with his head cut off while Niko either launched various items at him, or simply chased him on foot. Albeit very satisfying, Niko pushed the thought out of his mind and filed it for later. Right now he needed to have a chat with the ancient jackass and see what his plans were over the next two weeks.

Moving into the entranceway to the kitchen, Niko was graced with a rather disturbing, and somewhat … no, just disturbing. His guests for the evening had plunked themselves down around the kitchen island, which was adorned with a myriad of bowls and plates, all filled with some sort of protein-based animal carcass or fresh fruit. (A.K.A Meat) The two mismatched companions had also raided the area for some massive jugs, which were filled with a favourite juice mixture of Niko's…and they had already finished the first one of two off. The small, floppy-eared pet snacked hungrily on a piece of fruit from one set of bowls, while it's 'master' reached out with one hand to harness another piece of meat with his other hand clutching a glass of the sweet smelling juice mentioned earlier, and all the while still chewing on something with a rather large bone sticking out of his mouth. As much as Niko wanted to just throttle the old fart, he figured he might as well get some information out of him first. The pet could certainly pack away its own weight in food, but was no concern to Niko at the moment; I mean, how much can one little pipsqueak eat in a sitting?

"Hey, old man. Enjoying yourself?" Niko stated, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed.

Glancing up, the old-timer just mumbled something intelligible, waving his now free drink hand…until his eyes bugged out and he clutched his throat with both hands.

'_Awwwww dammit!_'

Niko simply walked calmly over around the counter where the older individual sat turning bluer in the face every second. Niko lashed out with his right palm, striking the choking freeloader in the centre of his back, just to the left of the spine. It may hurt later, but it would have the desired effect. Niko's guest chucked his half-eaten food (bone included) up onto the countertop, thus ruining his plate of food and some of the surrounding bowls. Gasping for air and now clutching his injured side, the old man turned around and glared at the silver-haired assailant and…

…pulled off his beard?

"What was that for?" The now very much younger looking individual prompted Niko in an accusatory tone, waving the dislodged beard around for some sort of odd dramatic effect, or so Niko surmised.

"Relax Sokka, the swelling on your ribs will go down in a day or two. Besides, I think you and your Team Avatar would rather have you alive than dead, or am I not correct?" Niko stated calmly as he turned to grab a glass and proceeded to fill it with some of the juice on the countertop.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sokka continued to grumble incoherently and stare down at his plate, eyeing Niko with an evil countenance every few moments.

"You know Sokka, you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you…or for that matter, saves your sorry butt from a piece of dangerous foodstuffs." A grin splayed across Niko's face.

"Hey, if you hadn't got me so riled up all of a sudden, that wouldn't have happened."

"Alright, alright, don't get your warrior stripe in a knot. I was just playing with you. But really though, next time, try and finish off one dish before moving to the next. There are other people around who wouldn't mind a bit of food every once in a while." Niko began moving around to pack up some of the dishes left around, including the one he had heard earlier break on the floor.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I'm still gonna' get you for that!" Finishing his last statement for the moment, Sokka made to help Niko with the cleaning, returning the juice containers to either the cool-box, or the empty ones to the washbasin. They left Momo to pick at what he pleased where he was perched on the upper cabinets.

The two warriors moved in silence for a time, simply content to move about the kitchen in a rough facsimile of harmony. Within minutes, the counters had been cleaned off, the food put away or thrown out, and the two had moved to the lounge area and plunked themselves down on the stacks of extra-large cushions. Sokka was sprawled out on his stomach in a rather comical fashion at that, with limbs going every which way. He had since removed the fake eyelashes and wig that adorned his face to make up his disguise for earlier that night. His robes were simple, yet effective, worn to hide his young frame from prying eyes. They were long, dusty, and coloured a rather dull shade of green and brown. With his full attire on, Niko mused that Sokka could have passed for a rather awkward and fashion-challenged earth bending grandfather.

'_At least he took off those blasted slippers he had on at the door. I think some of my hair stood on end just due to the smell._'

Niko had placed himself in a much more practical, and possibly more comfortable, position seated on a small cushion. Legs loosely crossed at the ankles, Niko had eased into a few cushions with his elbows supporting him. His necklace, unimpeded by the shirts he usually wore, glinted in the low candlelight. It was peaceful, just sitting like this, but apparently someone up in the great beyond hated him tonight…

"Hey Niko, is Aang still okay?" Queried Sokka from his new position on his back. His head was toward the floor, and he looked up at Niko, who in his eyes was upside down.

Breathing out and averting his eyes from staring at the ceiling, "Yeah Sokka, he's gonna be just fine. He's going to feel like absolute crap though when he wakes up."

"I don't get it?"

"What don't you get Sokka?"

"Well," Rolling over to sit up properly, legs crossed, "You just said he's okay, so then why is he still going to feel bad?"

"Don't you remember the lesson I gave to all of you on the focus…dammit…I forgot, I didn't fill you guys in on the details of the third stage." Sitting up straight, legs in the half-lotus, Niko continued.

"Alright, here's how it is. In the first two stages, the focus of the fighter simply allows the mind to help the body react faster than it would normally through the use of emotions. You got that?"

Sokka nodded, "Yeah, I think I remember hearing you say that."

Chuckling, Niko teased, "I'm surprised you heard that much, the way you were nearly making love to that meat vendor that passed by at the time." Sokka only grunted in response.

"In any case, the first two levels aren't dangerous to the body. The fighter is still in complete control and still feels pain to a degree, although somewhat lessened due to the natural adrenaline rush. The third level, the level Aang reached tonight for a moment, is far more dangerous to those untrained in its operation."

Sokka quirked an eyebrow, "You make it sound like some sort of triple-edged club or something."

'_Groan._'

"That's double-edged sword, Sokka. And yes, you're absolutely right; it is both a benefit and a detriment. On the one hand, the final level of focus abolishes all emotions and distractions not conducive to his or her personal safety and victory at that moment. However, it also blocks the pain receptors in the body completely."

Pressing on despite Sokka's raised hand, "I know that you may think that would be cool, making you an unstoppable juggernaut and all, but you'd be wrong on that point." A scowl returned and the hand went down, "Pain is the way our body tells us something is wrong. With enough pain, the body can black out, thereby blocking out any further sensations that could damage the brain. However, the third level of focus blocks this reflex of halting our actions. Aang ran the serious threat of damaging himself during that state of mind."

"Consider this; try hitting the floor as hard as you can."

"No way! Are you crazy? That'd hurt and break…my…hand?"

"Exactly," Niko's face lit up a little in pride, "Although the physical limitations of pain are lifted from the body, the damage done to our physical bodies and our chakra systems still remains. You hit a stone wall, you may punch through it like an earthbender, but later you'll have a crushed hand, unusable to months or even years afterwards. You could literally push yourself to exhaustion and die, if your body can't handle the stress."

"Oh!" Sokka looked down in realization.

"That's why I wanted you to help me with Aang tonight. I wanted to let you know that Aang needs to stay for another little while, about two weeks if everything goes as planned. I need to train his mind to be able to pick up on the third stage so he can disengage whenever he needs to. Also, the fitter the body it, the less chance you have in the third stage of injuring yourself."

"I think I get it, but hang on, why did he attack Katara like he did. He looked like he was going to…"

"Kill her?" Niko interrupted, "Yeah, he probably was. Or maybe he was just going to put her out of commission for a long time. The final thing to understand about the third focus level is that it affects the mind in such a way that it pretty much removes all moral capacity on the user. They become single minded in their will to survive and to end the fight as quickly as possible…by any means possible." Niko added the last part as a whisper, his head bowed a little, and his eyes glassed over a bit as if remembering something painful. Thankfully, Sokka didn't notice, or gained a little bit of tact and didn't bother to push it. He waited for Niko to continue.

Looking up and shaking his head a little, Niko pushed forward. "Only a sudden shock to the brain's pathways can guarantee the user will come out of the third stage of focus. Fortunately, Aang was not trained to use this stage, so the shock needed was less than normal. I still think though, that the sight of Katara would have knocked Aang out even if he were fully trained in the style."

"Yeah," Agreed Sokka, "Katara's always been the only one able to bring Aang out of the Avatar state in the past too." Sokka paused, then continued on. "Alright, we'll stay for another little while, but only on one condition."

Niko looked up in bewilderment. Sokka looked like he had his bargaining face on, even when it was coming down to his friend's and sister's safety? Deciding not to push it, Niko motioned for him to continue with a wave of his hand.

Sokka grinned like an idiot, "You have got to show me how to do that thing you did what you first found us! That was sooo coool!"

Niko couldn't help bet throw his head back in a great big belly laugh, wiping all signs of stress from his face in the process. Wiping a tear from his eye, he put on his best 'challenge' smirk and stuck out his hand for Sokka to shake.

"You're on, boomerang boy!"

With that, the two men settled in for the night. Sokka curled up in the cushions on the bottom floor, while Niko moved back up to his room after retrieving some blankets for his second guest. They only had a short time to rest before the sun would be out and Katara and Aayana came to visit. It was going to be one hell of a day catching up for the Avatar 'gaang' (shameless, I know) and Niko wouldn't miss it for the world. Well, that, and a certain guardswoman may have had his heart all twisted up in knots.

* * *

I'll try and update again soon. Damn school and such. I hope the 'gaang' is ready, 'cause there's plenty of pain to go around in Niko's school for supermen. (And women.)

Later days,


	17. Recovery Intermezzi 2: Ayana and Katara

Hey all, now to look at the next intermezzi from the ladies' point of view. Later,

Neal

* * *

"And you were like, woosh, and he was like kapow, but you went like 'nugh uh glow face' and then he went…"

Katara couldn't help but grin a little as Ayana babbled on about the battle she had with Aang in the town square. She had to admit, she was pretty good there. She did just best the Avatar of all people in at least one matchup. If it weren't for Niko and his training, Katara thought she definitely would have won.

'_Niko sure is a great teacher, even though he's not a bender. Maybe he could teach me something too._' Katara was disturbed from her introspective thought process as her human crutch for the evening had halted this progress rather suddenly, nearly throwing the unsuspecting waterbender to the hard ground in a heap.

"Woops, sorry Katara," Ayana said as she saw the waterbender give her a slightly annoyed look, "But we're here."

Kicking open the door, the two entered a rather humble one-floor home. It looked like there were only four rooms to the whole place. The entryway, also acting as the dining/meeting area, the second being the kitchen, the third being the bathroom, and the fourth being the bedroom. All the floors were finished in simple wood flooring, tastefully polished though. The two passed by the entryway to the kitchen, so Katara did not get a great look at it, other than it was pretty Spartan, and someone had not done her dishes in a few days. They entered the bedroom…or I guess it could be called as such. The room itself was pretty small, but the décor easily made up for it. Compared to the main entryway which was filled with random cushions, low tables and the odd painting, this room had the true feeling of comfort written all over it. Katara thought the room was heaven and that she had died. It was every girl's dream to have a bedroom like this…or at least the bed was. But I'll get back to that in a minute. A small vanity was placed over to the left of the entrance to the room, facing the back wall. It appeared to be fairly Spartan, holding a few combs and brushes, a number of ribbons and clips, and some basic makeup (I'm a guy, so I have no idea what should be on these things.) Also in the room was a wardrobe stand-up closet along the right wall. It was on simple design, containing two large doors with a light oak finish. The window in the room was also along the right wall, placed in such a way that the sunlight in the morning would shine directly on the sleeper. But aside from mentioning the little knickknacks and a painting of Niko and Ayana, the bed is what drew Katara's attention.

It was absolutely, positively magnificent! A huge, king-sized bed, held off the floor with an elaborate headboard and footboard system. It wasn't a canopy-style bed, but the sheer height of the mattress was extraordinary. Katara surmised that it must have been super-soft, and she also guessed that the sheets were only the finest quality cottons and silks. The colours adorning the bed were rich blues and whites, with the odd black-stone adornment along the head and footboards. To Katara, after all the travelling, it looked like heaven had come down and manifested itself in a rectangular package.

"Hello, earth to Katara? Come in Katara?"

The hand waving in from of her face, and thus obscuring her vision of perfection is what actually brought Katara out of her self-imposed trance.

Grinning sheepishly, "Sorry Ayana, it's just I haven't stayed in much of a real bed since a started travelling with the Avatar, and even then it was just furs from our village."

"I understand completely." Aayana chuckled a little, "I had that same look on my face when I first saw it all put together. I had Niko come over and give me a hand after I bought it…and then shoved him out the moment he was finished so I could curl up in heaven."

"Ha ha ha, you go girl! So, do you have any water around that I can fix my ankle up with, or at least get most of it fixed up?"

"I've got something better." Ayana moved to her vanity, opening up a little opening in the middle, and pulling out a box market with a red kanji depicting that it was a first-aid kit.

"Ayana, no offence, but I hardly think that a little First Aid kit can do a better job at healing me than I can." Katara had seated herself on the foot of the bed at the time…and she was definitely right about the softness of the bed and the sheets. She couldn't help but continue to run her hands over the sheets.

"And that, girl, is where you'd be wrong!" Ayana gave Katara a poke in the forehead, knocking her back onto the bedspread, much to Katara's delight. "Now hold still, and let me work." Opening up the box, Ayana pulled out some basic items like gauze, sterilizing oils, and some needles and thread. But what surprised Katara, or would have surprised her had she not been smiling goofily at the softness of the bed, was a small black and green stone jar. Pulling off the cap, Ayana proceeded to smear some of the blue paste it held onto Katara's swollen foot.

"Phew! What is that smell?" Katara looked down her body to see what was causing the infernal odour that rather rudely brought her out from her stupor.

"Relax water woman, this is something Niko gave me a while back. It's a special medicinal mixture used to treat strained muscles and tendons. He had someone develop it for him at one point because he pushed himself so hard. Now, he's always got some left around to help with training people, especially when he gets mean with them." A small grin was pasted over Ayana's face as she concentrated on wrapping up Katara's foot and ankle. "The smell is the ingredient that seeps into your muscles and heals them the natural way. By morning, you won't even have a bit of soreness left."

"Oh, ok." She proceeded to flop her head back into the sheets. Katara was surprised. Even her own healing powers left muscles somewhat sore, and some injuries couldn't be healed completely without special mystical waters, or so she heard. This stuff would sure come in handy later on. Maybe she could convince Niko to teach her how to make it before they left.

"Alright Katara, now for some ice." Ayana left the room, and Katara could hear her ladling up water from the central basin. Katara's leg was currently wrapped from mid-shin downwards to the toes in two layers of gauze and cloth strips.

Re-entering the room, Avana held a reasonably-sized bowl in her arms filled with cool, crisp, clean water. "I want you to bend the water around the wrappings so it forms a bit of a cast. We're only going to keep this part on for a little while."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are we doing this?"

"You've been surrounded by ice all your life and you've never heard of ice taking down swelling in injuries?" Katara shook her head. "Well, maybe this is just something we picked up in our trial and error adventures. Just keep the ice on for a while and you'll feel better for it; trust me."

Shrugging, Katara did as she was told, flinching as the cold seeped into her muscles, mixing with the simulated heated tingling sensation the medicine gave. It really felt odd until her leg went numb. Aayana left the room for a little while to bring the basin back out to the kitchen area, and probably do a few other things considering the noise she was making. When she returned, she had brought a towel, a rather large woolly sock, and some snacks. The edible portion of her armload consisted of some dried fruits, a small portion of chicken, half of a break roll, and a jug of pomegranate juice. Along with this were two plates, two cups, a knife, and some napkins. Katara sat up on the bed to give Aayana room to set down the tray and sit down. They each wordlessly made themselves a plate of the various foodstuffs made available and set into consuming what their stomachs desired.

"So Katara, how did Aang do tonight. I mean, you know what I think from my babbling earlier, but I want to know what a master waterbender thinks of her favourite pupil."

Swallowing a piece of fruit and washing it down with the sweet fluid, Katara answered. "He was really something else. Before he came here with Niko, I could take him down without too much trouble at all. He's always been good, but I couldn't believe how good he'd become. If I really wanted to beat him tonight, we'd need a lot more later, and I'd have to pull out some less-than non-lethal moves. He was definitely considered a master tonight."

Ayana grunted and nodded in response as her mouth was full. Katara continued on, however.

"But what I don't get, is how Niko could have trained Aang to become so good in a matter of weeks. And he's not even a bender himself!" Katara sat perplexed with a look that yelled, 'What do you know about Niko that I don't?'

"Niko sure knows how to bring the best out in people. It's something about his personality that can really break down the walls in people's minds." Noting the still-questioning look on her guest's face, Ayana continued with his explanation.

"Niko doesn't just train the body in movements and styles and 'feelings' like most benders and martial artists do. I mean sure, a lot of people out there train to be faster, stronger, smarter, and all that, but how many learn how to combine it all? Niko pushes the limits of strength, endurance, agility, speed, and combines that with the flexibility of the mind to think outside the normal boundaries. On top of that, he also tries to tailor his training to the individual. Since Aang is the Avatar, Niko probably knew that he had almost limitless potential in bending terms, and therefore focused on the training of the creative side of his mind, while linking that to his body." Taking a break to chew up some food, Ayana made a final statement.

"You know Katara, I'll bet that Niko would be happy to train you as well. With your level of knowledge, you could best Aang again in waterbending, no problem. I just know it. Heck, I've already bested him in the spear…"

"WHAT? You mean you beat him and he was your teacher?" Katara couldn't believe it. She had seen what Niko could do with almost anything when he had been caught in a particularly bad mood in town one day. She would remember that day for the rest of her lifetime…

* * *

Flashback 

_"Awwwwww, come on Niko, wassa matter? Can't handle the heat, get out of kitchen!" _

_Ayana was teasing Niko as he sucked back enormous amounts of water out of an equally enormous bucket. Ayana had laced his food with enough chilli spices to knock out a fire nation rhino, let alone what it did to the silver-haired stylebending master. It was just a part of their natural routine to tease each other to no end any chance they had. Katara thought it was because they secretly liked each other, but that's nother piece of the story for another time. _

_After dousing his head and shoulders with the icy water, a rather swollen-lipped and red-faced Niko sent a glare back at Ayana that could drop a badgermole with a glance…and those things were blind! "Ayana, you are so gonna get it when I get back!" With that, the soaked warrior stalked off towards the other side of town. _

_"Yeah, whatever!" Ayana mocked Niko. She was still laughing hard about her success. "That's eighty-six for me, fifteen for him." _

_"Are you guys always like this?" Sokka questioned through bites of his own plate of food, which he eyed more cautiously at the moment. _

_"Yeah, he looked pretty angry." Katara added to her brother's comment. _

_Ayana only shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, pretty much. He'll just go blow off some steam at the local sparring weapons maker's shop and he'll be good as new." _

_Sokka immediately perked up at this comment, but Katara beat him to the question considering his mouth was full. "Where is that exactly?" _

_"Just over on the far side of town from here. The weaponsmith, Jin-Roo, has a field in the back that he uses for people to test out his weapons before they buy them. It's one of the reasons why he gets a lot of business from the surrounding towns. Go on over if you want to take a look." _

_"Come on Katara, let's go!" Sokka bounded off, dragging his sister behind him, and spilled food and dishes in his wake. That, and an irate Ayana who had to clean it all up. Sokka just became her next pranking target. _

_"Oooooo look, a shiny thingy!" Sokka was currently molesting any and all weapons he could get his hands on. He was like a kid, a really big kid, in a candy store, with really dangerous candy. Katara just shook her head. _

_"Excuse me, Mr. Jin-Roo? Did a man by the name of Niko come by here?" _

_The bear of a man, decked out in a simple grey tunic and pants, covered in a black leather smith's apron, turned around and smiled at Katara. His eyes were kind and bright, hidden under a mane of long-brown hair. He held a cloth in his hands, which he was attempting to wipe of some sort of greasy substance. _

_"Sure did, he's out back at the moment trying out another one of my prototype spears. I douns some new wood that's a bit heavier, but provides a crazy springback if one has enough skill. I usually let Niko test out all my new products before I put them on the market. He is one of the best around, after all. Ha ha ha" _

_"That's really neat. Do you mind if I go out and see him." _

_"Sure, just head on out through the door in the back and grab a seat. He usually puts on quite a show." _

_"Thanks, and would you mind keeping my brother's head attached to his shoulders?" _

_"No problem, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself too badly." Following that staement was a crash and a definite cry for help from Sokka himself. _

_Walking out back and pushing open the door, Katara was greeted to an awesome sight. Niko was poised, shirtless of course, to the right side of a large dirt circle etched in by chalk. He had an eight foot spear held in his hands, one by his hip and the other about a third along the length. His hair had been let down, his sandals discarded as well, which could be found on a rack of weapons to the right of the exit where Katara first came out. Katara soundlessly felt her way around to a bench, because she didn't want to miss a thing by taking her eyes off this supposed master warrior. Fortunately for her, today she would not be disappointed. _

_His eyes locked on a single target a thousand yards away, a stare Katara had seen in battle-hardened veterans during their travels, Niko's breath was the only movement at that instant. His knees were bent in a neutral forward stance, on slightly in front of the other. There was a large post to his rear, wrapped in thick ropes and pockmarked after thousands of cuts and bludgeoning blows to the wooden monolith. It stood about eight feet in height, and the trunk was painted a deep red to stand out against the stark background of green hills and other houses in the distance. Katara once again focused in on Niko. _

_His knuckles were white with strain on the white shaft of the spear. The spear itself was adorned with a simple black head with a green tassel tied at the base of the head. Muscles twitched, his eyes blinked to keep the sweat out, and his breath came long and ragged. Apparantly he had already pushed himself pretty hard before they got here. _

_'He's only been here a few minutes before we got here, how could he be so…' Katara couldn't even finish her sentence before Niko sprung into action and answered her question for her. _

_Niko thrust out the spear with his right hand stopping the spear as it slipped through, pointing it out in front of him with just that hand. Extended, the spear head should have shook a little given its flex and the natural weight of the wood. In Niko's hand, it never moved an inch even while he held it six inches from the base. After the slight pause caused by standing up straight and sweeping his foot in to meet the other, Niko moved again. He spun on his heels, bringing the spear with him, tucked under his arm to gain more torsion. Once facing the target post, Niko performed an impressive display of showmanship intended to confuse a target. He spun the spear like one would a simple staff. Over under, through his legs, around his neck and head the spear spun, all the while under control. After ten or fifteen seconds of this, Niko launched himself towards the target, holding the spear in a hand over hand swing (baseball swing). However, instead of striking the target by swinging his arms, Niko simply moved past the target with the staff locked by his stomach. The resulting impact next to the head of the spear sent the spear spinning around Niko's back. He had let it go on impact and continued moving on, knowing that the spear would wrap around his body, catching it again once his stood four feet from the post. Now the spearhead was behind him, his left hand at the base in front and his right at his hip. Driving backwards with the spearhead and turning to the right all in the same movement, Niko sunk the spear deep into the target trunk, lodging it firm. Instead of trying to pull it out directly, Niko switched his right hand grip and spun to the left, lining the staff along the back of his shoulders with the shaft underneath both of his armpits. Kicking off the target with both legs after a small hop, Niko spun in a cartwheel with the spear still locked under his armpits. His hair flowed under his head, sweeping the ground as he flew away from his target. _

_Landing on his feet, Niko swept the spear around in his right hand. Once it came around to the front, he drew back and let it fly at the target. To Katara, it was a poor throw, as it landed low on the target, but to Niko, it was perfection. Not even pausing to see the result, Niko ran toward the target while the spear base slapped the ground with the tip still stuck a ways up. He hit the spear shaft at a run using it like a ramp and springboard all in one. Pushing off, he leant back and continued to run up the thick trunk until he reached the tip. The spearhead, due to the pressure of Niko pushing off it, came loose and sprung off, the working as a pivot in the ground. Finally, Niko landed both beet into the trunk and pushed off in a backflip to land on his feet just in front of the spear as it stood up straight. Katara could hardly believe that he had missed the spearhead on the way down. It had been that close to giving Niko a new spine, if you catch my drift. Grabbing the spear before it went any further, Niko brought it flipping end over end in his left hand until the tip was pointed forward. He stopped the spear over his head with his right hand before bringing it back down to his right side in the classis ready stance he began with. Not pausing, Niko struck out with a series of tip-slashes. The spear bent and groaned as the tip danced with the tassel in the sunlight, shredding the ropes that bound the trunk in the process. This continued as Niko paced foot crossing over foot as he walked and slipped around the trunk in a half circle to his left. At one point he actually went out of Katara's sight, almost causing her to give up her vantage point for fear of missing something. Once Niko finished his half circle he performed a jumping kick by planting the spearhead into the ground and gripping it with his hands. Using the energy from the kick, Niko dove away from the monolith, performing a roll and coming up with the spear still in his possession. Spinning quickly, Niko spun the staff overhead and approached his target with the look of a great predator. Another full spin with his body and Niko brought the spear to bear. He thrust out hard, fast, faster than he ever had in his whole 'performance' and… _

_Stopped! _

_Niko had stopped the point just millimetres from sinking into the now bare wood. The ropes had fallen away due to his previous onslaught, and the tip rested where a man's throat might be. He stood with one hand outstretched, and one hand tucked behind his back, legs together and locked…the exact same stance he had started with. Sweat dripped from his hair, his eyes, his nose, and dribbled down his chest and back. Funny though, he actually looked at peace with himself now. Somewhere between the beginning and the end, his exterior had calmed, and the fury had left Niko's system, leaving the cool, calm, and collected person Katara had first met. Not waiting to see any more, Katara quickly excused herself, blushing from sizing up Niko's body. Niko just grinned after the door closed, not because he knew he had an audience, but because he had calmed himself once again, and it felt good! _

End Flashback 

* * *

"Yeah, I got him. Hard to imagine isn't it, considering the show you saw the other day?"

"You got that right." Katara paused and looked upon Ayana in a new light of respect. She truly was a great warrior woman. "Hey speaking of Niko, what's the deal between you and him?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Ayana actually stiffened and sputtered. Usually not to be at a loss for words, the mention of Niko in a vaguely suggestive manner had her flustered. Katara couldn't believe her luck. She had something juicy to pester Ayana with now.

"You do like him, don't you?" She teased.

"Well, um…here," Thrusting a towel and the sock at Katara, "Unbend that water, dry off, and put the sock on over your foot. The medicine will have soaked in by now and just needs time. It's waterproof, so it wouldn't have come off with the bandages holding it in. The bandages will keep your foot in the right position for the night." Standing up and gathering her plates and such, Ayana headed for the door. "You take the bed tonight, I have a spare cot outside there. Good night Katara." And she was gone.

Katara couldn't believe it. For a minute she just sat there dumbly with the towel wtill over her head haphazardly. Underneath, she was grinning like an idiot due to her discovery, and her good fortune because of it. After taking care of her foot and bending the water out the window, Katara settled into the luxurious sheets and bed, relishing in both the comfort, and her newfound information she could use on Ayana in the future.

'_Life is good!_' Was her final thought as she snuffed out the light.

* * *

Alrighty then Avatar fans, I hope I'm back up to par again. If not, let me know.

Cheers,

Neal


	18. Boys and Girls the Morning After!

"Gnnnnnnnnnn, don't wanna get up Momo…go get monk Gyatso…"

Aang waved his hand a little to get rid of the offending creature. Momo had made his way upstairs after Niko and Sokka went to sleep and settled himself quite comfortably in the chest of his human companion. Curled up in a little ball for the majority of the night, come the daybreak out little lemur friend became a little more active. The little guy probably didn't realize it, but even in his sleep-induced haze as the sun peeked through the window and coated the two lovers and masters of all things air-induced, his tail reacted to the welcomed warmth. Swishing back and forth, Momo's tail unconsciously picked up on pleasant sensation, as all animals do. Due to this bit of movement, eventually Mom's tail found its way toward Aang's face. In particular, Aang's nose seemed to act as a magnet for the fluffy appendage. Over and over it went, brushing the knobbly piece of flesh with feather-light touches reminiscent of the summer breezes themselves. Thus, the mumbling continued for a good long while, considering Aang was less likely to rise at that moment than a rock covered in frozen tar. That is, the process of brushing and muttering continued until the timing had become just right for Momo's tail to become lodged in his mouth. This probably wouldn't have been a problem normally, except that Aang was just in the transitioning stage of breathing to talking. Interestingly enough, this simple act of closing one's mouth led to a series of circumstances that would have done the best court jester proud. Just one simple syllable requiring the teeth to meet and…

'SCREEECH!'

"WHA? AHHHHHHHHHH, GET OFF, GET OFF, PTOOIE, BLEGH, OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!"

Due to his rather unorthodox methods of waking said usually friendly lemur, Aang received a pint-sized beatdown courtesy of the small furry mammal. Tiny fists flew, feet scratched, teeth nipped, all simply to retrieve his tail from the maw of certain doom. Then, once accomplished, Momo proceeded to throw a tantrum all over Aang's face and head, pulling at everything he could get his hands on. It was truly a free-for all of epic proportions…until Aang finally had a coherent thought pass his mind. Now, with a coherent thought in the mornings, usually that entails shock, and the thinker ends up sitting bolt-straight rather quickly. For Momo, this would be his downfall…or launch pad, whichever you prefer. An airbending assisted sitting-up in bed was accompanied by two things. The first was Aang's cry of "MOMO!" with a plastered grin on his face. Now the other was slightly less comfortable. Utilizing Aang's head and face as an unintentional catapult, Momo was set into immediate launch. Needless to say, even for skills as prodigious as the lemur, it was no surprise that the speedy flight abruptly ended as Momo was halted by the appearance of a stone wall. Luckily for the little guy, his drop was halted by a gust of wind, sending him back the way he came. Now, for anyone or anything, that kind of starting and stopping (and impact) would have anyone disoriented. The only thought he had for a while was '_This other wall is nice and soft._' He had been pressed into Aang's chest in a hug of joy.

"Hey buddy, good to see ya! Sorry about the whole sending you into the wall thing, but I'll make it up to you later with all the fresh berries you can eat. Whatta you think?"

On berries, Momo's coherency went from non-existent to full alert and gratitude. Squirming out of Aang's grip, he proceeded to give the Avatar a head hug, followed by providing him with a furry scarf of lemur tail.

"Ha ha ha, I'll take that as a yes." Aang patted Momo on the head before moving to stand up from the bed. Testing his legs and standing to his full height, Aang proceeded to perform a few basic stretches, all the while sifting through the events of the night before.

'_Let's see, I went to town with Niko for a party. We ate, drank, and all that jazz, then I was challenged to a waterbending match and…'_

"KATARA!" Aang's eyes lit up with absolute joy at the thought that his crush and best friend was nearby. Grabbing his usual airbender's uniform and a towel from the closet, Aang bolted out the window, and straight down on a rough angle to plunge into the outdoor tub Niko had positioned there just for the occasion. It was really just a barrel full of water Niko had placed there after gathering some drinking water, and Aang would have to go and get some more now that he was using it to clean himself in, but he didn't care at this point. The water became a maelstrom of bubbles and froth and Aang did his best imitation of a whirling dust devil that hit down in a lake. Within moments, he had deemed himself 'clean enough' and proceeded to launch himself out of the barrel like a cannon, grabbing the towel as he went. Spinning around in the air and bending the warm breezes around him, Aang was completely dry with his lower half wrapped in the towel before he hit the ground. Briefly checking his coverings and gathering his clothes, Aang frantically spun around to find a spot to change. All he saw was open land as far as the eye could see until you hit the tree line and the river. Frustration began to set in. Aang had to see Katara as quickly as possible.

Not thinking clearly can sometimes provide the most creative and complicated solutions to a rather simple problem. In the case of our young airbender, that was to create his own cover in which to change, and to do it the only way he knew how. Rolling up his clother and grabbing the bundle in his teeth, Aang dropped into his airbending stance for the air-scooter, and then widened it significantly. (Think Neji's Kaiten stance.) Spreading his arms wide and low, Aang spun fast and furious. The resulting dust storm was incredible, not due to its size, but moreso due to the density and control. Aang had created a veritable pillar of dust and wind, concealing his own movements from view with amazing efficacy. Then, dislodging the clothes from his mouth, Aang proceeded to levitate himself within the fifteen-foot cylinder, twirling end over end as he went. Seconds later, the dudst cleared, and floating back to the ground was a fully clothed, and fully clean, Avatar. (I'll let you image how he put on his clothes while in the air. Think of trying to put on clothes and the like under water. If you've never tried it, give it shot…quite interesting to say the least.)

Checking his wardrobe to make sure he had no malfunctions, as he had seen Sooka have far too many of those for his own good, Aang caught the towel that was floating slowly to the ground and spun on a point, throwing the towel through the open window of Niko's home in one fluid movement. As he came around to face the direction of the town he had visited last night, Aang crouched into a perfect sprinting stance. Legs coiled, brow furrowed, goofy grin forever shining, and eyes shining, Aang pressed off hard, kicking up dust and dirt every way imaginable. He could feel his legs burning, his arms pumping, the air he bent propelling him along at…a standstill? Aang looked down and around. His legs were moving, but he wasn't going forward. '_Maybe the ground was just really soft here.'_ Aang thought, so he pressed harder, sent his legs spinning faster and faster. His breath was starting to burn in his lungs, the sweat began to come down his face. Looking toward the horizon, Aang quickly realized that he wasn't getting anywhere. About to take it up to the next level, Aang found his legs suddenly tangled in something else, and was forced to the ground on his butt.

'_I don't usually have my legs tangle up in themselves. But what was that strange bit that pushed me down…onto…oh.' _Aang had sent his gaze skyward and was met with the most interesting looking cloud he had ever seen. It was whispy, yet had a very solid shape. The silver strands of cloud looked like they were coming down from the sky to meet the earth. Oddly, there were two vibrant green spots above a white, crescent-shaped partition. Aang really didn't make the connection until the cloud spoke with Niko's voice.

"In a bit of a hurry are we, Avatar?" Niko's face was set in an all-knowing grin, leaning over Aang's prostrate form for look him in the eyes upside-down. Sitting up and spinning around on the ground, Aang rubbed his head sheepishly. "You know Aang, next time you decide to turn my water barrel into a geyser and kick up a durst storm just outside my house with your bending and feet, you may want to just not." Niko finished with a raised eyebrow as he straightened back up to look down on his young student. He had heard the commotion outside his walls and barrelled down over the stairs to investigate. '_I have clearly underestimated the recovery abilities of Aang.'_ Dashing to the doorway, Niko was just in time to watch a towel fly into Sokka's face as he too was stirred from his slumber and attempted to stand up. The towel sent him crashing back to the ground after smacking into the cabinets a few times and tripping over the pillows he had used as a bed. Tearing his gaze away from the water-tribe warrior in training, Niko saw Aang sink low into a sprinter's stance. '_Dammit, it's too early for this.'_ Acting fast, Niko grabbed the back of Ang's shirt and held onto the doorframe with his other arms, all the while getting a face full of dirt. Needless to say, he wasn't pleased with this. As Aang tried to speed up the pace a third time, after being thwarted by Niko's impressive use of leverage, Niko decided that enough was enough and sent the Avatar to the ground on his backside. Sometimes, mornings could just be so troublesome when you had to deal with a hyperactive saviour of humanity. (Credit goes to Shikamaru)

"Niko! I saw Katara last night…in the village…I gotta go see her now…mfl mfl mfl."

"Thank you Sokka." The warrior had since recovered and launched the towel past Niko's head and into the rapidly moving embouchure of Aang, effectively creating a cessation of speech. Sometimes even Sokka could be useful. To Sokka's credit, allhe did was grumble about it being too early for something or other and proceeded back to the waiting pile of pillows to continue his morning snooze…or at least attempt to.

"Now Aang, listen up." Pulling the towel off his head and out of his mouth, Aang looked up expectantly, if somewhat quizzically. "Yes, you did see Katara, and yes, we will go see her shortly. However," Niko continued in a somewhat darker tone, "If you value your life at all you will not leave for another hour or two."

Aang looked shocked. Why would Niko threaten him from seeing his long-lost crush…friend, he meant friend. It just didn't make sense? Niko continued.

"She's staying with Ayana, and if I know Ayana, if she's disturbed before the sun gets close to full height on her day off…well, let's just say the world will have to wait another 16 years to find another Avatar." Aang visibly paled at this. If Niko was scared of this woman in the mornings, then Aang would just have to grin and bear it…and maybe go pester Sokka until then.

"Alright Aang, now that we're settled about letting the ladies sleep, how about giving me a hand with cleaning out the dust from my porch and re-filling the water barrel?" Niko offered Aang a hand, which he gladly grasped and was hauled to his feet. It was days like these that Aang knew he had to just bear with it. Besides, how much dust did he really kick up…after..all…?

Break

'_Note to self: Lock Aang in his room the next time he gets stranded from Katara…or eats a hell of a lot of sweets!_'

Niko was getting tired of the monotony of this new morning task. Aang, Sokka (after much prodding and false promises of chicken for breakfast), and himself had been trying to clean the dust and dirt out of the front room and kitchen for nearly two hours now. Aang had kicked up a veritable dust storm with that… 'superb' airbending of his. Every footstep he took pushed nearly a pound of dirt and sand back into the house. Along with the winds stirring it up and pushing the granules into all the nooks and crannies, the three had quite the job to finish. At present they were making headway, having cleared out the major amounts of dust and dirt from the floors and countertops, now they were working on the cupboards and such. Aang couldn't use his bending much to help due to the volatile nature of wind and the mud-creating factor of water. That meant that tiny brushes and cloths were the order of the day.

"Aang, next time you think of doing something…just don't!" Sokka was having a field day ranting at Aang for getting him out of bed, forcing him to clean, and taking back his promises of a meat-filled breakfast. In fact, he hadn't stopped ranting since he saw the piles of dirt flooding the main area. It didn't help that Aang wouldn't leave him alone with questions about what they had done since they parted ways.

"That's enough Sokka. Aang already said he was sorry. And can you really blame him? I mean, it's not every day he's been separated from his teammates, subjected to creative torture methods by myself, and then re-united in one of the most dramatic ways possible." Niko chided the blue-clad warrior. Sokka's response was his usual grunt/muttering. "Besides, It's not like you weren't ecstatic to know he was okay when I first ran into you guys. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were just as concerned as Katara."

"Really Sokka? You were worried about me?" Aang poked his dusty head up from under the countertop he was currently cleaning.

"Yeah, well, just don't get all mushy about it."

"Thanks Sokka." Aang said simply. He knew how Sokka worked, and for him to even admit he was concerned was something huge. Aang would just wait until he met up with Katara for the full effect. She always made him feel better…

"Alright you two, enough male bonding." Niko cut in, "How are making out over there Sokka?"

"Looks clear over here. Just gotta take these two blankets out to be beaten." Sokka said as he held up two blankets to show.

"Good stuff. There's a basket I put outside filled with some more stuff like that. Just toss it in there." Nodding, Sokka moved to finally finish up his task. "How about you, Aang. Status report?"

Flicking off another rag out the window, Aang turned his head and replied over his shoulder, "About the same. The tops just need a good once over now and I should be clear over here."

"Excellent. I've finished up with the entranceway and the clothes can wait till later. I'm gonna go get Sokka to help me take the basket down to the river for when I get some time. After that, we'll go catch up with Katara and Ayana." Niko could only grin as he caught the brightest smile he had ever seen on the young Avatar. '_He must really love her._'

As Sokka and Niko hauled the rather large wicker basket down to the stream, Niko thought, '_I wonder how Ayana's making out with Katara this morning?_'

Break

"Alright, now you look like a lady!"

"I don't know…I don't really do this sort of thing. Besides, who am I going to impress anyways?"

'_I can think of a certain someone who you definitely want to impress._' Katara's mind worked in wonderfully devious ways this early in the day. She had convinced Ayana to do some 'girly stuff' will her, as Sokka would so aptly have put it. After waking up from probably the best sleep she had ever had, Katara proceeded to convince Ayana into getting 'done up'. Katara needed little work, as she always kept herself very pretty, but Ayana needed some work. All the training and adventuring she did without taking the extra time for herself really did a number on her skin and hair. But Katara enjoyed a challenge! The clothing wasn't an issue, considering the clothes Ayana had on last night. Unfortunately for Ayana, she didn't get the chance to show them off to Niko…up close and personal.

Katara had treated Ayana to a full hair-care clinic, complete with whatever oils and moisturizing products she could get her hands on. Surprisingly enough, Ayana had most of the materials around the house…but she used them for cleaning her weapons and such. Leave it to someone with so much beauty to become a tomboy and neglect herself. After the hair came the face, nails, skin wraps, and anything else girly that you can think of. (As you can probably tell, I don't know squat about girly grooming rituals. I just know that they look damn good after the three or four hours it takes to get ready.) Katara was just cleaning up the last of the items from Ayana's face and feet, with a few touch-ups here and there. Needless to say, Ayana looked D-D-DAMN GOOOOODD…ahem…excuse me…I mean, Katara thought she looked radiant. (Got sidetracked again…redheads do that to me.) Stepping back to take a look at her work, Katara noted the changes she had made. Ayana's crimson tresses fell down her back, adorned only by the pattern Katara had wove it into. A stubborn stray lock fell across the left side of her face, forcing her to flip it back behind her ear. Ayana's eyes practically looked like rare and precious gemstones in the morning light, burning with the golden fire of Ayana's soul, surrounded by a barely noticeable shade of rouge to smooth the transition between her hair and her face, as Ayana's skin was still so fair. Katara was first surprised to find first that Ayana did not have her ears pierced, but that was remedied a number of days ago since they first met through Katara's noticeable insistence. Hanging from the lobes of pale flesh were two silvery spirals, giving the appearance of quicksilver dripping from Ayana's ears. And her lips, a simple deeper shade of lipstick was all that was required to give Ayana that full-pouty look that all men go ga-ga for. Ayana's eyes were outlined with subtle golds and reds to make them look bigger and more radiant. Aside from the face, Ayana had her nails manicured to perfection, and her skin oiled with a honey mixture Katara made up on the fly. To sum it all up, Ayana dressed herself (with absolutely NO wink wink input from Katara) in a set of simple heeled sandals, a deep brown knee length skirt, and a sleeveless green blouse with a low peasant neckline allowing for just a hint of cleavage. All in all, a simple and elegant outfit for the female warrior.

"So…are you just going to stand there and make me feel uncomfortable, or are you going to let me go see how I look?"

The comment from a bemused Ayana shook Katara from her thoughts of how this look would affect Niko. "Oh, sorry Ayana. Here, have a look." Reaching to her left, Katara tapped the door to Ayana's room, letting it swing closed to reveal the mirror on the reverse.

"I look…wow…hmmmm," Ayana twisted and turned every possible direction to look herself over in the mirror. "Katara…you've definitely outdone yourself. But, I don't know…what if I screw up, or say the wrong things, or…"

Listening to the rambling and hyperventilating Ayana, Katara dropped her head and shook it side to side ever so slightly. Moving and placing a hand on Ayana's bare shoulder, causing the warrior to look up, Katara spoke, "You look fine…in fact, you look absolutely radiant. I could tell you didn't do much with your skin and face, even though you've still got good taste in clothes, but that just makes it all the more fun." Noticing the 'about to interject' look on Ayana's face, Katara held up her other hand in a halting motion, "And don't worry about what to say. Any male who sees you in this outfit with that makeup will not be concentrating on what comes out of your mouth, trust me."

Noting the grin on Katara's face, Ayana gave a wry smirk of her own. "Maybe you're right, Katara. And thanks…for the pep talk AND the grooming." Hugging the younger woman briefly in friendship, Ayana pulled back with, "So now what do we do?"

Katara just grinned like the Cheshire cat and said, "You'll see." Grabbing Ayana's hand, the two ladies bolted out the door to meet the silver-haired stylebender and his airbending protégé. Things were about to get interesting between the red and silver if Katara was to have anything to do with it…and she damn well would make sure of that.

Alrighty then Avatar fans. Sorry I'm mucho late, but my writing takes a back seat to work and wining and dining the ladies. He he he. In any case, I didn't feel this one was up to scratch, but let me know what's up, and I promise we'll be back to torturing Aang very soon.

Cheers,


End file.
